Color and Light
by turnitintolove
Summary: You're both quiet, buzzing with that something else that you're pretty sure is love. A series of oneshots from prompts by lovely readers.
1. Chapter 1

You smile to yourself as you wrap her scarf around your neck. She had left it over the last time she stayed, and you're pretty sure she did it on purpose. It still smells like her, a sweet mix of perfume and the coconut lotion she uses. The loft door is heavy as the chill of November settles in. October had been mild, warm enough for plenty of evenings spent on Dani's roof with her guitar and a cheap bottle of wine. But now you need layers and warm drinks to get rid of the chill.

Rachel and Kurt had teased you about your lack of game in getting Dani to date you. But you knew that exploring the city and movie nights were a quieter way to her heart. So maybe New York had made you softer instead of colder, harder. You like to think its growing up. Just as you plug your earbuds in, Rachel runs down to the second floor landing.

"Can you bring me back that stuff you got the last time from that place?" She holds out a twenty, which you pluck from her fingers and put it with your metrocard.

"That is possibly the least helpful thing you could say Berry."

She rolls her eyes and huffs, mostly because she knows you know what she's asking for. "That vegan gluten free mix. I want to make brownies for rehearsals."

"Yeah yeah. I got it." You roll your eyes as you look for the playlist of Dani's music on your phone.

"Tell Dani I say hi!" You wave her off as guitars and soft vocals fill your head.

The journey to Fort Greene is boring and you don't have that many creepy guys staring. It helps that you're lost in songs by the girl you're pretty sure you're in love with. The more you think about it, the more you're sure. You stay at Dani's small studio a few nights a week, and even when you're not there she's at the loft. You pretend to not see Kurt and Rachel share not so subtle looks with each other as they watch you. You know they know you're falling.

You see her at the entrance to the flea market, and you smile when you notice that her hair is now a deep red. "Now I get why you kept sending me pictures of red things last night." You smile as she leans up to kiss you while your fingers run through her hair.

"You like it?" She smiles and you can hear the small hint of worry.

"I love it." You kiss her again and take her hand, walking into the crowded flea market.

The market has become a regular Saturday date for the two of you. She had taken you a few weeks ago, despite your complaints of hipsters and being around other people. Especially when you could be alone in her apartment with a lot less clothing. But you'd come to love the stands, looking through old knick-knacks and vintage clothes. You find the vegan friendly bake stand and pick up Rachel's request with an eye roll, but the kiss that Dani gives you makes the extra weight worth it.

"Are you wearing my scarf?" You're paying for coffee and you chuckle. "Have you been wearing it this whole time?"

"I have." You hand her the small black coffee. "You left it at my place the other night."

"It suits you."

"It smells like you." You cringe at how that sounds coming out of your mouth. Maybe you really don't have any game.

She smiles and kisses you, a little deeper and filled with a _something else_ that you can almost taste. She leads you out of the flea and back towards the subway. You're both quiet, buzzing with that _something else_ that you're pretty sure is love. Your ears pop a little as the subway car runs under the river and you feel Dani's head resting against your shoulder. You press a kiss to the top of her head and wonder (like you do most days) how you could have found someone as wonderful as her.

The walk to her apartment is quiet as you swing your hands and she hums something that sounds like a love song. When she opens the door and flicks the switch you find that she's strung Christmas lights all over her apartment and built a fort around her bed.

"Dani, what is all this?" You drop your bag to the floor and smile at the colored lights strung above her bed and around the room.

She shrugs, "I wanted to do something special." She kicks off her shoes and pulls you to crawl onto her mattress. When you roll onto your back you gasp at the way the colors bleed through the sheets strung up. "This is how you make me feel." You turn your head to watch her speak, the way her eyelashes flutter as her eyes watch yours. "You make me feel warm and light and like my world was grey before."

"I love you." There's silence as you hold your breath and watch her smile.

"I love you, too." You meet in the middle for a long kiss. It starts small and slow and quickly she's on top of you with your hands buried in her hair. When she pulls away she looks at you, "You stole my thunder."

"Thank you, for doing this. It's perfect. You're perfect." You kiss her again, and this time you know it's different. The whispered _I love you _between kisses leaves you breathless. You roll her over and feel her body relax under yours as you move your kisses down her neck, unbuttoning her shirt as you go. It takes longer to peel your clothes away as you stop to whisper into her skin. Soon you trail kisses over her shoulder and down to the top of her breasts. You see her eyes, big and dark in the soft glow of the colored light. The way her breasts rise and fall as she breathes, the way she looks at you with such clarity in this moment. You know making love to her will never be the same.

She lifts her hips enough for you to peel away the lace still clinging to her body and you trace your fingers up the inside of her thighs. When you hear her whispered _Please_, you ease two fingers into her. She's warm and wet and welcoming. You build a slow and steady rhythm as she holds you close to her. She kisses you with everything she has as your fingers move inside of her and she breaks away from you when you feel her start to pulse against your fingers. When she comes, its the second most beautiful thing you've ever seen, the first is her smile. She breathes against you for a while before she rolls you over so that you share the same pillow.

"You are so so beautiful." She whispers as she pulls you leg over her hip and dips her hand lower.

Her fingers are warm as she circles you and slowly pushes her fingers inside of you. You moan louder than you expected, it somehow seems wrong to be loud now, this feels sacred. She pushes her forehead against yours as she pushes deeper inside of you and you whisper her name until she kisses it from your lips. You come with her name on your lips and she holds you closer than you thought possible.

You fall asleep tangled together in the soft glow of colored lights and whispered _I love you's_ in the night.


	2. Chapter 2

_I got bored and inspiration hit me._

* * *

The sunlight filtering through the curtains warms your skin even though the temperature outside must be close to freezing. It makes you shuffle a little closer to her, maybe she'll warm you up enough to drift back to sleep. (She always does.) You pull her closer to you, feeling her hips settle into the cradle of your body. She's always been warmer, softer than you.

"Why are your feet always so cold?" She whines into the morning air, voice raspy from sleep.

You chuckle, because she's been asking you the same question for five years. And you always do the same thing, wrap your frozen feet around her warm ones. She protests, but turns in your arms and gives you a sleepy smile.

"Morning." You whisper as you meet her for a gentle kiss before giving her an Eskimo kiss. These are your favorite moments. The ones where neither of you have anything to do. She doesn't have to go to the studio and you don't have to go to your office. The two of you lie together, tangled and warm and in love. Six years ago you hated people like the two of you, you were lonely and bitter and angry. And then she smiled at you with her ridiculous dimples and the stupid red uniform. You were a goner. Its no wonder Rachel made fun of you and had to nudge you with her not so subtle shoves. But you've never been more grateful, not that you'd ever tell her (she knows) because she'd never let you live it down.

You've had your share of fights, someone storming out of a too small apartment. The two of you working too many late shifts and not enough time together. But then you booked her the right gig and the right people came along and you talked your way into an internship with the top casting agency in the city. More fights and two almost breakups, but here you are. She's the top selling singer-songwriter on iTunes and you're on your way to becoming the top paid casting agent at your company.

"We should unpack." She stretches her body before curing back around you.

"We should stay here." She chuckles again and you press your nose into hers. You actually don't want to unpack with her around because you really need to find that little blue box that you put in one of your office boxes. You can't remember which one it's in and of course your office is the last room to be unpacked. "I can do that tomorrow when you're at the studio." You hope that your excuse will be enough.

"Okay, but you need to do that or your office is going to turn into a storage room." She closes her eyes and you know she's being lulled back to sleep because you keep running your fingers down her spine.

"Okay baby." You mumble into her hairline as you feel sleep pull at you again.

The next time you wake, it's to warm lips against your collarbone. You feel her smile against your skin as you pull your bodies just a little bit closer. (Which is probably impossible.) "We should get up. Be productive or something."

"I think we should stay here."

"I'll make you that special coffee we bought in New Orleans." Her giggles turn into laughs, that infectious laugh you love so much, as you roll on top of her and kiss her good morning. You know it's a good one when she moans into your mouth and her hands slide to rest low on your hips and squeeze.

You settle on top of her and feel her hands slide up and down your back, her legs parting to let you rest comfortably. "I love you." You feel like you never say it enough. She brings her hand to rest on your cheek, fingers tracing over the small scar over your eyebrow from when you got mugged a few months ago. You turn to kiss her palm, knowing that she still blames herself for you being out so late.

The stillness that falls over the two of you is one that would have terrified you five years ago. You would have searched for something to ease the silence, maybe a sharp comment or a quick change of topic. But now you let it wash over you. You take in how the morning light reflects off of her (now) dark hair. How her eyes are bright and clear with what you know (and are no longer afraid of) is love. It makes you think of the ring somewhere in your office. Your mom was in town and helped you pick it out. It didn't feel right taking your grandmother's ring. Some bridges aren't mean to be repaired. Dani helped you though that, holding your hand on the plane and during the funeral. So when your mother offered you the ring, you declined. Telling her it didn't feel right to marry the woman you loved with the ring of the woman who couldn't accept you for it.

You lie there, feeling her body against yours. The way your body shifts as she breathes and how she takes you in. "I love you, too." She breathes like she's going to say something else but kisses you instead. You smile and then she whispers, "Marry me?" The question startles you and you blink a few times before the question sinks in. You had a whole proposal planned out and she beat you to it. Instead of crying or nodding you start to laugh and burry your face into her neck. "Santana?"

The worry in her voice gives you pause, so you kiss her. Gentle and deep before looking at her, "Of course I'll marry you. I love you more that anything."

"Then why are you –"

"You stole my thunder." You smile, remembering a night several years back.

"What?"

"I have a ring. And reservations on Friday. And Rachel was going to come over and light candles. You stole my thunder."

"Well, you are my thunder. And lightning and the rain and everything."

"Are you calling me a storm?" You raise your eyebrows as she smoothes her fingers over them with the lightest of touches.

"I'm calling you a force of nature that changed my life." She kisses you, and it feels different. It feels a lot like rings and forever.

"Where's my ring?" It comes out with more snap than you'd anticipated, but she laughs and you feel your body shake above hers.

"In the coffee container. Where's mine?" She quips back.

"In one of the boxes in my office." Your cheeks flush as she smirks and understands why you didn't want to unpack.

"You're unpacking your office today."

"Only if you make me coffee."


	3. Safe

_Alright Dantana fans, I took off the 'complete' setting. And I'll add chapters as I'm inspired. **I'll also take prompts if you want to send them to me**. This chapter deals with the mugging mentioned in the previous chapter. So warnings of violence. Thanks for the reviews and the favorites!_

* * *

The music is loud, but you are so so proud of her. Dani's single launch is just the beginning. You know her album is going to blow up. After years of hard work people are starting to see her the way you do, well maybe not entirely (some things are just for the two of you).

Some of your friends from the office are here to help celebrate, and of course Rachel (and her new flavor of the month) and Kurt (with his lonely eyes, no one expected _that_ to last) are here to show their pride and support. You watch as Dani talks to one of your clients across the room, her hands animated and her eyes bright.

"You're doing that thing again." Rachel slurs slightly. Years later and she's still a lightweight.

"What thing?" You turn to face her and grab another glass of champagne from a passing tray.

"That thing with your face when you look at her." She tries to touch your face and you back away quickly, swatting at her hand.

"Its called admiring the woman I love from afar, Berry. Calm down."

"When are you going to cast me in something?" She reaches for another glass of champagne and you quickly take it from her and hold it behind your back. You feel Kurt walk behind you to grab it and walk away. He's smart enough to be away from Rachel when she gets drunk and needy.

"You have a job. Remember? I got it for you." She rolls her eyes and takes a breath to argue, but you're quick to cut her off. "Nope. I got you the lead in a new musical with the hottest up and coming writers. You get top billing, your own dressing room and PT every weekend. I did your agent's job for him. You're out of favors. If you don't thank me in your Tony speech, I will only cast you regional shows that are doomed to fail." You leave her speechless and walk across the room to find Dani.

"Hey baby." She smiles at you before leaning in for a quick kiss. That was one of her demands when signing her contract. No hiding her sexuality or you. Two other record labels wanted her and were willing to pay her more, but she had to hide you (and who she really was) and she immediately said no. She loves the small label that signed her; they let her try new things and promote the hell out of her. She has a small tour in major cities with The House of Blues and is being asked to write songs for some major pop stars. "Enjoying the party?"

"It's great. Rachel is drunk. How are you? I feel like I haven't seen you all night." You pout and brush some stray hairs away from her face.

She kisses your palm and smiles at you, "I know. It's been crazy! I've had three movie execs ask me to write songs and Nylon wants me for a cover story."

"That's amazing!" You smile and pull her close to you. Somewhere to your side some flashes go off (the pictures will actually be really cute) but you ignore them as you kiss her. She pulls away with a worried look when you hear a crash and a squeal that sounds a lot like Rachel. "Damn."

"How drunk is she? And where is her date?" She looks around you before turning her worried gaze back to you.

"I'll go make sure she's okay. Be right back." You walk away and feel her smack your ass as you weave through the crowd. "Rachel." You shout from behind her.

"What?" She's turned into Rachel, the bitchy drunk. Your favorite.

"Where's whatshisface?" You search the crowd but can't find him.

"You mean Paul?" From the way she drags his name out you know this conversation is going to go downhill fast.

"Yes, Paul. Where is he?" You reach out to steady her before she falls, also waving away a server with yet another tray of champagne.

"I don't know." She snaps, and you've already had enough.

"Alright, let's get you home." You guide her to the door without leaving any room for argument. You see Dani nod as you leave and she blows you a kiss. "Where's Kurt?"

"He went home with one of the bartenders who was switching shifts." Rachel makes a show of rolling her eyes. Like she's doing any better. Who would have guessed that you'd be the most stable?

"Well, we're going to get you into a cab and you're going to go home." You use your business voice, leaving no room for argument. (Dani calls it your mom voice. Which makes your stomach flutter in a way you didn't know it could.)

"But I want to celebrate with Dani." She whines and you really really don't want her to turn from bitchy Rachel to weepy Rachel.

"You did. And she is so happy you were able to come and listen to her song and drink more champagne than someone your size should." You manage to walk to the corner and hail her a cab. After telling the cabbie her address and handing him a few bills you stand back and watch the cab disappear into traffic.

The early spring air is cool on your skin, it was warmer in the club than you'd thought and you wish you'd grabbed your jacket to walk Rachel to the corner. You start walking back towards the club, taking your time to listen to the late sounds of New York. What you don't hear are the two guys behind you who pull you into the alley.

"Look at what we have here. How's it going hot mama?" You don't have time to see his face before a fist connects with your stomach and you're doubled over, trying to breathe.

"Hand over your cash." The other guy demands and you shake your head. You want to tell them that you don't have any. You handed over a few twenties to the cabbie, but that was all you grabbed. Your purse is still in the club. You don't even have your phone. "I said hand it over bitch!"

"I don't – I don't have anything." You wheeze.

The same man who punched you grabs you by the back of your neck and pulls you up. "Then hand over the jewelry. All of it." Your hands shake as you reach for the clasp on your necklace; a wreath that Dani gave you after you cast your first Broadway show. When your hands are high enough, you shove the man and try to run, only to have your hair pulled and to land on your back. "Bad idea bitch." The boot to your ribs explodes in pain and you really can't breathe.

The second man pulls you up and pulls the back of the necklace, cutting off your air supply. He pulls you around to face the first guy as he backhands you, and you can feel his rings cut into your skin. Your legs kick out and you're able to kick him in the balls and he shouts out in pain. You feel your vision narrowing down as your feet leave the ground.

When you open your eyes, you're lying on a gurney in the alley with Dani gripping your hand. "Oh my god you're awake."

"Wh-what happened?" You know you hurt everywhere but the last thing you remember is walking back towards the club.

"You got attacked. Two guys tried to rob you. Do you remember baby?" She's worried, you can hear it more that see it, your vision is a little blurry.

"I put Rachel in a cab. And then I started walking back." She squeezes your hand and you can see the fuzzy outline of a cop and EMT. "Someone grabbed me and demanded money. And then everything started hurting." You're starting to remember more and more as you feel Dani's hands smooth over your face with the lightest touch.

"We should get her to the hospital." The EMT states and you feel yourself being lifted into the back of the ambulance. Dani is right next to you as soon as you're in, holding your hand with tears running down her face.

"How did you find me?" Your voice is raspy, probably from being choked.

"One of the bouncers was taking a cigarette break and he heard something and checked it out. He knocked both of them out before calling for help. You were on the ground when I got there. I should have gone with you. I'm so sorry."

"This isn't your fault. It was down the street." You try to smile, but find that your lip is split.

"You scared me." She chokes out, and you remember that you're in the back of an ambulance.

"I'm okay. I mean, it hurts like a bitch. But I'm okay."

* * *

They let you go home a few hours later. A few stitches over your left eyebrow, bruised ribs and a minor concussion. Dani guides you through the dark apartment towards the bathroom. She slowly strips you from your dress, careful of your ribs and the stitches on your face. Her touch is gentle as she guides you to sit on the closed toilet lid. She busies herself with washing your skin clean of the makeup, sweat and blood from the last few hours.

Your eyes are closed, but you hear her sniffle and open your eyes to see hers wet and bloodshot. "Hey, hey I'm okay. I promise. This isn't your fault. Okay?"

"If I –"

"Nope. Not your fault. Those two guys were just waiting for someone. It could have been anyone." You try to sound reassuring, but truth be told you were terrified. You didn't know what they were planning to do once they had their money or jewelry.

"But it was you!" She cries. And for the first time you see the terror in her eyes. They could have done much much worse, and that's what's running through her mind. "I don't – I don't know what I would do if-"

You reach for her hands and pull them to rest gently on your cheeks. "I'm right here. I'm safe and I'm here."

She sniffles and nods, her thumbs stroking over your cheekbones. "I love you. And I can't do any of this without you. Okay?"

"Okay."

She pulls you to your feet and slowly guides you to your bedroom. Once you're in the loosest pajamas you own she helps you climb into bed. You watch her strip out of her own outfit and into a pair of sweats and a tank top. Once she's settled in beside you, you roll onto your left side and slowly curl around her. "I love you. And I'm not going anywhere." You whisper as her arms wrap around you. "You're stuck with me."


	4. Home

_A/N: Prompt is from Tasteless Rain. Dani and Santana deciding to move in together. Awkward and cute. (I'm taking prompts! Send them to me!)_

* * *

Dani is nervous. That's the first thing you notice. Her cool calm easy demeanor is now replaced with a woman whose hands shake just a little as she keeps bumping into the counter while she busies herself with cooking dinner. Your finger traces the rim of your wine glass as you watch her swear under her breath.

"You okay there baby?" You want to laugh, but you also want to know what is troubling her so much.

"Huh? Yeah, yes. Yes. I'm fine." The last time she was this nervous was when you asked her to stay the night for the first time a little over a year ago. She really didn't want to ride the subway with Rachel and Kurt knowing they knew what the two of you sounded like having sex. (They found out anyway) She got over it.

You look at the table in the corner of her studio and smile at her decorations. One year is a big deal. It's the first time you're able to celebrate an actual one year anniversary, and you couldn't be happier. You're still pulling shifts at the diner, but you're looking for internships with anyone in the entertainment industry and Dani is playing more and more open mic nights. You're exactly where you didn't know you wanted to be.

"Shit!" You turn around and find Dani close to tears.

"Baby, what's wrong?" You set your wineglass down and walk over to her, wrapping her up in your arms.

"I ruined it." She sniffles into your shoulder. And then the smell hits you. Whatever dinner was supposed to be is now a black lump in the center of the pan. "Tonight was supposed to be special and I ruined it."

"Hey, hey look at me." When she finally looks up at you, you wipe the tears from her cheeks with the pads of your thumbs. "You didn't ruin anythung. Tonight is about you and me. We can order pizza and it'll still be special. Okay?" You give her a gentle smile, still stroking her face.

"Okay." She sounds defeated and her shoulders sag as she leans into your body.

"How about you go take a shower while I'll clean up and order pizza from that place around the corner. Okay baby?"

"Okay. I love you." She leans up on her toes and presses a quick kiss to your lips before disappearing into her bathroom. It only takes a few moments for the sound of running water to start.

The kitchen really does smell awful now, so you open the window and busy yourself with cleaning the kitchen. You find yourself humming as you scrape whatever dinner was supposed to be off of the pan and into the trashcan. But you get annoyed when you realize it's a song from Funny Girl. When you get home you're implementing a new rule: No songs from Funny Girl in the apartment. You may even change Rachel's damn ringtone. Soon you start humming one of the songs that Dani has written in the last few weeks, she uses you as a test audience on a weekly basis. It's one of things that makes you fall in love with her even more.

As soon as the pan is soaking in hot water, you pull out your phone and order pizza. You know there's ice cream in the freezer and another bottle of wine on the counter. The kitchen still smells funny, so you dig around her bookshelf to find a candle and set it on the kitchen counter. Now that you've stopped moving you can hear Dani in the shower, singing one of your favorite songs. (You put it on a playlist for her, and now she knows how to play it on her guitar.)

When she steps out of the bathroom she looks much more relaxed than she did fifteen minutes ago. Your eyes follow her as she walks over to her dresser and pulls out fresh clothes to change into. You smile and feel your body warm as she drops her towel and steps into her panties. She must feel your gaze because she looks over her shoulder and smiles that coy smile that makes your stomach drop and mouth go dry.

"Are you staring at my ass Ms. Lopez?" She chuckles as she clasps her bra and pulls her black skinny jeans off of the bed.

"Yes. It's such a fine one that I couldn't help myself." Your eyes follow the curve of her legs as she steps into her jeans, wiggling her hips to pull them up. She laughs and shakes her head as she pulls a loose sweater over her head. "I ordered our usual, should be here in half an hour."

"Thank you. I've just been stressed trying to make everything perfect." She looks down at her bare feet as you pull her closer to you.

"Why are you so stressed? You know I love you and all I wanted to do tonight was spend time with you."

"It's just, can we sit down?" You're a little worried now at her tone. She's much more serious than usual.

"What's wrong? Now you're freaking me out a little." You take her hand as you sit on her small sofa.

"Will you move in with me?" She seems surprised at her own words; her mouth stays open as she tries to backtrack.

"Yes."

"You don't have to. I just thought that since you spend so much time here. And I love you and we love each other. And I made a breakdown of how much it would be. And, what?" She clearly didn't hear you and you keep smiling at her, waiting for her to outtalk her own nerves.

"Yes. I will move in with you. I love and that sounds perfect. You're perfect."

"Oh. Okay then." She smiles and you lean in to kiss her.

"Is that why you've been so nervous all night?" You mumble against her lips. Her eyes are still closed as you brush your lips against hers, teasing.

"Yes." She sighs.

"Well, then tonight is about you and me and our new home."


	5. Magic To Do

_A/N: Prompt is from Paula de Roma: First time Santana invites Dani to stay at the loft as mentioned in the previous chapter. (Still taking prompts! And thanks for the reviews/favs/follows.) Also, the title comes from Pippin, look up the 2013 Tony Performance._

* * *

The night is going surprisingly well. You've surprised yourself with how romantic you can be. The loft is filled with candles and dinner wasn't a disaster. You bought the Wonder Twins tickets to _Pippin_ and told them to stay out as late as humanly possible. Dani has her guitar perched on her thigh as she strums it lightly. This is the first time she's played you one of her own songs. You can see the trust in her eyes and the warmth in her smile makes you feel safe.

"What do you think?" She sounds a little nervous, and you feel so special and trusted that she's played you something so personal.

"I think that you're amazing. And you should sing me another one." You crawl over to her and pull the guitar from her hands to rest in her lap. Her hands are quick to find your hips as you press closer and kiss her, your dress riding up your thighs.

"I can't play you another one if you take my guitar away." She whispers against your neck.

"I said sing me another one." You pull her into a kiss, heated and deep. She moans into your mouth and tries to follow your lips as you pull away. "Please?"

She starts singing quietly as you kiss down her neck. You hear her breath hitch slightly as your fingers start to undo the buttons of her shirt. "Santana." She whispers as your hands rest against the swells of her breasts.

"Keep singing." You whisper as you press a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth. She's halfway through the second verse as you pull her shirt away and lower her body to the ground. Her hands slide up to the back of your dress and drag the zipper down, pulling you down on top of her in the process. As your weight settles on top of her, she pulls your face closer to hers to kiss you. Hot and open and deep.

She pulls your hips to grind into hers and you feel heat spread through your body. Sex with Dani has been new and wonderful. You love exploring the dips and curves of her body. And this will be the first time you've had sex with her in your apartment. It'll actually be the first time you've had sex at all in your apartment. She keeps finding excuses to end dates at her apartment. Not that you really mind, she has her own studio, which speaks volumes for itself. But now you have a shirtless, panting Dani beneath you and you plan on making that a naked moaning Dani in the near future. In your bed.

And then the door slides open and Kurt shrieks. Dani gasps (not the kind you were hoping for) and Rachel starts yelling. "Santana! No sex in the common area!"

You groan and sit up, realized that it's a terrible idea as the front of your dress peals off. You were really hoping that Dani would be the only one to see your new lacy strapless bra. "Didn't I tell you two to stay out as late as possible?" You pull the top of your dress back up as you sit back on your heels and hand Dani her shirt.

"Kurt was crying too much to go out for drinks." She waves her hands like you and Dani can't see that her makeup has been cried off.

"You were too." Kurt shouts from the kitchen where he's pouring six glasses of water just to keep his eyes away from the two of you. "Are they still naked?"

"We weren't naked to start with Ladylips." You pull Dani to her feet and grab her guitar and lead her to your bedroom, pulling the curtains closed.

"I should go." She's buttoning up her shirt (mismatching them because her hands are shaking).

"What? Why?"

"Because your roommates just walked in on us." She whispers and waves her hand towards the living room.

"First, we were not naked. Second, you don't have to go. Stay. Please?" You give her your best pout and pull her by the belt loops to stand in front of you. "I'll make it worth your while."

"I'm sure you would. But –"

"But what?"

"You have no walls Santana!" She shouts and you hear everything in the apartment stop. And then she whispers, "We all have work tomorrow and I would really like to ride the subway in the comfort that they don't know what I sound like when I'm having sex with their best friend."

You chuckle and kiss her lightly, "They were going to find out eventually." She goes to protest but you kiss her again before telling her, "I've had to deal with Kurt's long distance phone sex and Rachel's gigolo."

"What?"

"I'll tell you later. But the point is, we're roommates and we've known each other forever. I know you don't know them that well but you're my girlfriend and I really really want you to stay the night in my bed with me. And if it will really make you feel better, we can just watch some Netflix on my laptop and go to bed."

"Rachel really had a gigolo?" Dani raises her eyebrows; she sometimes doesn't know when you're kidding.

"He was her boyfriend for a while." You smooth your hands over her shoulders, hoping that you've calmed her down enough that she'll stay.

"So you haven't had sex at all here?" She gives you an innocent smile that you know is the exact opposite.

"No." You breathe and wonder how she's taken the reigns from you so quickly.

"So I would be the first girl you've brought home?" She's moving you towards your bed as she unbuttons her shirt again. All you can do is nod your head until you remember who you are. You stop and slowly pull your dress down so that you're standing in your lingerie.

"You'd be the _only_ girl I've brought home." You kneel on the bed and watch her drop her shirt and shimmy out of her jeans. You don't know if you'll ever get used to how sexy she is.

She meets you in the middle of the bed and wraps her arms around you, "Good." And then she's kissing you with everything she has.

* * *

The subway ride the next morning is the quietest you've ever had. Dani's hand is intertwined with yours and her cheeks are a light shade of pink but she can't stop smiling. Rachel and Kurt can't or won't look at either of you.


	6. Broken

_A/N: Promt: Fight. I got a lot requests for this. You guys love your angst. (And I'm still taking prompts!) Thanks again for the reviews/prompts/favs/follows!_

* * *

"I don't understand why I can't come with you." Dani sighs as you pace your small living room.

"Because she already doesn't like that I'm a lesbian, but if I show up with a girlfriend she's really not going to like it." You've tried explaining to Dani about Abuela and how she kicked you out of the house and how broken you were. You explained and she understood. Of course she understood.

"But the party isn't even for her. It's your dad's retirement." She doesn't understand that you're trying to protect her from your Abuela and a good third of your family.

"It's only for the weekend." You try.

"Do you not want me to meet your family or something? We live together Santana. You can't keep me as your dirty New York secret." Her patience is wearing thin and so is yours.

"That's not it. Dani, you don't know what my family can be like." You remember the last family gathering and all of the dirty looks and murmurs in Spanish as they crossed themselves. You'd never felt so dirty for being who you are.

"Then let me meet them." She snaps. The two of you have been arguing since your Mom called you two days ago. "I can hold my own Santana. If they don't like us the they can shove it up their asses."

You're tired and as soon as the next words leave your mouth you regret them, "You left your family! You don't know what it's like when they kick you out or watch you like you're dirty. You didn't give anyone the chance to do that because you ran!"

You watch the hurt flash across her face, "You're right Santana, I left. But you know what? I don't use it as an excuse for everything in my life. So your grandmother didn't like that you were gay. Get over it." Her voice rises as she stands in front of you.

"Says the girl who won't even talk about her family. Any time I ask you about them or even suggest calling them, you shut me down. Who's the dirty secret here?" You push, and you know this isn't going to end well. You've had small arguments but this is the first time the two of you are showing your claws. Both of you are going to get hurt. (But you won't see that until you're alone and crying)

"What's your next move then? Panic and find a beard to fuck and show off to the family? I'm sure Mark or Eddie would be more than happy to help you out there."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" Mark and Eddie are two guys from your general management internship. They like to flirt and buy you coffee, but they've met Dani. You made sure of that.

"I see the way you are with them. How stupid do you think I am?" She crosses her arms and you can see the way her shoulders are tense.

"Right now? Pretty fucking stupid." You snap back at her, "They're my friends."

"Isn't that what you used to do? Fuck your way to the top?"

You freeze and look at her. You told her about your past, that you weren't proud of a lot of your choices. But you've grown up and learned to work for what you want. The fact that she thinks so little of you now is what cuts the deepest. You grab your jacket and purse from the kitchen table and walk towards the door. You can feel her eyes burning into the back of your head.

"Where the hell are you going?" Dani snaps at you.

"Away from you."

"Right. Off to fuck the feelings away?"

"Fuck you Dani." And you slam the door shut behind you.

You've been living together for four months now, and the only fights have been small. Usually about dishes and insignificant chores. This is big. You don't even realize where you're going until you look up and see your old apartment building. How did you get here so fast? Thoughts of Dani and possibly having to beg Rachel and Kurt to let you move back in swirl around your mind. Did you just break the one great thing in your life?

You knock on the loft door but don't hear anyone, so you sit in the corner by the stairs and wrap your arms around your legs. "Shit." And then the tears start. What if the two of you can't move past this? What if you're doomed to sabotage all of your relationships?

You're sobbing when Kurt comes up the stairs talking on the phone, "Yeah, hey, let me call you back." He puts his phone into his pocket and approaches you like he would an injured animal, "Santana? What's wrong?" You shake your head, unable to form any sentences. "Okay, let's get you inside."

Kurt pulls you to your feet and wraps an arm around you to help guide you inside. He sits you down on the sofa and pulls you into his body. "Is it Dani?" You nod your head against his chest, "Fight?" You nod again. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"She called me a whore." You breathe, "Not directly, but she doesn't trust me. Or I don't trust her. I don't even know what happened anymore."

"Everybody fights, you know that better than any of us." His voice is soothing as you listen to it resonate in his chest.

"I was just trying to protect her." You whimper and feel more tears fall down your cheeks.

He holds you until you fall asleep, exhausted from crying and fighting. You're vaguely aware of Kurt taking your shoes off and pulling your body to lie on the couch. The last thing you remember is the blanket he pulls over you and the kiss to your forehead.

When you wake up it's to whispers between Kurt and Dani. "She was crying all night. What the hell is wrong with the two of you?"

"Look Kurt, we got into a fight. An actual fight, not the 'why can't you do the dishes' fight. And I want to see her."

You keep your eyes closed and breathing even, you don't know where they're standing or if they can see you. But your stomach clenches knowing that Dani has come looking for you.

"Why?" Kurt snaps. You don't hear this side of him very often. But when he's protective, he turns into the best Mama Bear ever.

"She didn't come home. And that terrified me. Okay? I couldn't sleep because I didn't know where she was, she wasn't next to me." She sounds defeated. "Did she tell you what happened?"

"Some. But you can't push her away like that Dani."

"I know." She whispers.

"Do you? Because a good part of her family won't talk to her anymore. They think something is wrong with her for being who she is." You hear Kurt walk away and before you know it gentle hands are running through your hair.

When you open your eyes Dani is looking at you with bloodshot eyes, "Hey." She whispers. When you don't say anything she takes a breath, "I'm sorry Santana. Can we please go home and talk?"

"We can talk here." You sit up and pull your hand away from her.

She sits next to you, "I'm so so sorry. I really am. I don't know why this week has been so hard. I feel like I don't see you and then you didn't want me to go with you to Ohio. And I snapped. I didn't mean any of it, I don't like who I am when I'm mad."

"What you said hurt Dani. A lot. And I know I said some things too, but we can't do that to each other. That's all I used to do and I don't want to be that person. I haven't been that person since before I met you. Okay?" You didn't realize you were crying again until she wipes the tears from your face. "I love you too much to fuck this up."

"I love you too." She kisses you gently. "Please don't leave like that again. I didn't know where you were and I thought you weren't going to come back."

"Okay."

"Can we go home?"

"Yeah, let's go home."


	7. Not That Girl

_A/N: Got a few prompts asking for a jealous Dani. Thanks again for the prompts (which I'm still taking)/favs/follows/reviews._

* * *

Deciding to stay in New York for Christmas wasn't hard. Your parents decided to take a cruise, which would leave you with an empty house and a town full of memories you didn't want to relive. Plus Gunther was paying you overtime for working Christmas Eve. And it'll be your first Christmas with Dani. The guitar pick punch and earrings are already wrapped and under the sad excuse of a tree that Rachel and Kurt dragged home. Your plans are to work until midnight with Dani, go home and spend a romantic evening tangled with Dani, wake up to open presents and eat everything in the apartment until you pass out to whatever is marathoning on TV.

At least that was the plan until you got a long winded email from Quinn explaining that she didn't want to go back to Lima either and could she please come stay with you. Kurt offered up his bed since he's going back and Rachel seemed excited at having someone else other than you and Dani in the apartment. You think maybe having another friend who knew Finn so closely will also be good for her. So you make plans to make a bigger dinner and buy more bottles of rum and cartons of eggnog.

You're actually really excited for Dani to meet Quinn. She's your oldest friend, even if you have a rocky history. Graduating and moving out of a small town has actually brought you closer. And you like to tell her that she's never going to be with anyone as hot as you again. You can always hear the eye roll through her texts.

So when you see her walk into the diner on the morning of Christmas Eve, you scream. No one bats an eye (except for Rachel and Dani) because this is New York and no one cares. But you wrap your arms around her neck and hug her. "Hi Santana." She mumbles into your neck. She pulls away from you and goes to hug Rachel before putting her things down in a corner booth. "I'm going to sit here and read. Come get me when you're done."

She's sitting in Dani's section. The last girl you slept with is sitting in your girlfriend's section. Your girlfriend who doesn't know you slept with your best friend is about to meet your best friend. _Oops_. You watch Dani take Quinn's order as they chat.

"You okay?" Rachel asks.

"What?"

"You have the same face as the time you saw Kurt naked."

"Dani is talking to Quinn."

"Yes." Rachel drawls.

"I slept with Quinn. I slept with her and I didn't tell Dani." You mumble to yourself, forgetting that Rachel (world's loudest secret keeper) is standing next to you.

"You slept with Quinn?" Of course the entire diner is quiet when she decides to yell her question.

Dani's head snaps to you and Quinn starts to laugh until Dani snaps her very unamused face back to her. Quinn stops laughing and looks at you like you're the world's biggest idiot. Which right now, you are.

"Thanks Rachel." You mutter and walk towards Dani. Maybe if you explain that you were both drunk and lonely and - Dani is now walking away from you. Staying in New York for Christmas may be the worst idea you've ever had.

Dani avoids Quinn's table even though it's in her section. Rachel covers without you having to glare at her. After the lunch rush you manage to corner her, "What is your deal?"

"Why didn't you tell me?" She snaps and now you know she's mad, with something else that you can't figure out underneath.

"Because I forgot." It's the truth.

"You forgot that you had sex with your best friend or you forgot to tell me that you had sex with your best friend?"

"Both?"

She rolls her eyes and walks away from you with a huff. You see Quinn watching you with her signature smirk and decide to sit down. Dani is already mad, so why not?

"What?" You snap at her.

"You didn't tell your new girlfriend? Who is nice by the way, when she's not looking at me like she's going to kill me in my sleep."

"I forgot. We talked about past relationships and stuff. But a night of drinking and orgasms does not equal a relationship."

"It doesn't look like she's on the same page. Did you explain that to her?"

"She won't let me!" You put your head in your hands and groan. You really want to spend Christmas with her, but this is not looking good. "What do I do?"

"Is the great Santana Lopez asking me for advice? Oh, what has the world come to?" You actually hate her right now.

"I hate you." You stand up to go back to work.

"No you don't." She calls after you.

You go back to the break room to splash some cold water on your face, but when you open the door you find Dani crying and Rachel trying to make her stop. All of your frustration evaporates and you shove Rachel out of the way to take Dani's face into your hands. "Baby, what's wrong?" She shakes her head and tries to push your hands away. "Rachel can you give us a minute?"

"Sure." She leaves and has the decency to look a little guilty.

"Please talk to me." You plea.

"She's skinny and pretty and blonde."

"Who is?"

"Quinn!" She shouts at you.

"This is about her?" She gives you a look that tells you that you're being an idiot. "Baby, she's one of my best friends. And we got drunk at a wedding and we were lonely. And you are so so beautiful and perfect. And you were blonde until a few weeks ago. I don't need anyone else. I love you."

"Why didn't you tell me?" She sniffles.

"Because she doesn't matter. Not like that." You cradle her face and wipe some of her tears away.

"How does she matter?" She still doesn't sound like she believes you.

"She's been in my life for a long time. And we weren't always nice to each other, but she's always called me out on my shit. And she was one of the first people I came out to."

"Really?" And there's where you hear the underlying jealousy.

"She was always pretty religious, but we were close. And I was terrified of what my family was going to say, so I told her first. I figured if she hated me I would only be losing a friend and I would stay in the closet. But she told me she already knew and that she didn't care. But that she would be there for me no matter what. That's who she is to me."

"What about me?"

"You are the girl that I am hopelessly in love with. And that's all that matters."

"And you don't want to be with her?"

"I don't want to be with anyone else." You smile at her.

"What?"

"Jealousy is kinda hot on you."

"I was not -"

"Yeah, you were. But I love you. And you have nothing to worry about."

* * *

"So then Santana actually slapped her." Quinn has another glass of eggnog in her hand, which is thankfully almost empty.

"For real? What happened?" Dani is resting between your legs, her back pressed against you as you listen to Quinn embarrass you.

"She got her ass beat. That's what happened." Rachel chuckles from her spot on the sofa.

Dani laughs and you pinch her side. "Aw baby, don't be mad. Just maybe no fighting?"

"I'll keep that in mind. Alright, I think story time is officially over." You pat Dani's shoulder and stand up, pulling her with you.

"Good night ladies." Quinn slurs.

As you make your way to your curtain you hear Rachel, "You're going to want ear plugs."

"Why?"

"Because it's their first Christmas together and Dani was totally jealous all day."

"Oh. Uh -"

"There's a box of them in the bathroom." Is the last thing you pay attention to that doesn't involve showing Dani just how perfect she is.


	8. Next to Me

_A/N: Prompt is from Tasteless Rain: First time they are separated for a while? Maybe while she's in Ohio. So this goes with Chapter 6 (Broken). Thanks for the prompts (still taking them!)/reviews/favs/follows!_

* * *

Your mom is really excited that you flew into town for your dad's retirement. You smile as you see her pull up to the curb and load your bag into the trunk before sitting in the passenger seat.

"Hi mom." You give her a small hug over the console and kiss her cheek.

"Hi sweetheart. How was your flight?"

"It was fine. No screaming kids, so I call that a win."

"Did you call Dani and tell her you landed?" Your mom loves Dani, and after a very long tear filled phone conversation your mom understood why Dani wasn't coming with you. You protect the things you love most.

"Of course. She says hi and thanks for the recipe." You've come home to the two of the facetiming. It used to freak you out, but not anymore.

"She'll come next time." Your mom must sense your sadness about leaving her in New York. That was another even longer conversation you had with Dani. When she finally understood that you were just trying to protect her, she agreed to stay in New York. On the condition that she comes with you next time and the two of you sit down to talk about reaching out to her family.

"I know." You sigh and watch the highway turn into the streets of Lima you've tried so hard to forget. The house is the same as it's always been. Big and warm, only now it's loud as relatives sit in the living room. The room turns quiet when you walk in behind your mother. Your dad's side of the family has always been religious and now it shows as your aunts cross themselves and mutter in Spanish. You sigh and look at your mom, "I'm going to go put my stuff away and change."

"Okay." She kisses your forehead, her lips lingering in that way that only she can comfort. "There's lunch when you're ready."

"Thank mom." And you walk up the stairs to your old room. When you push the door open you find familiar dark colors. Nothing has changed; the same posters line the walls, your closet still has some of your clothes in it, there are pictures of Cheerios and Glee club on the walls. And it all makes you ache for Dani. This room has always been a safe place for you, and now you need it to put on your armor to battle with disapproving looks and unwanted prayers. You didn't want Dani to deal with any of that, but right now you could use the extra protection her arms give you.

Before you realize it, your phone is pressed to your ear and Dani's concerned voice comes through, "You okay baby? You only landed an hour ago."

"I just miss you." You tell her as you unzip your bag.

"What happened?" She knows you so well.

"I walked in the door and it was like I was the lesbian apocalypse."

"I'm so sorry baby."

"I just want to be here for my dad, but they're going to make it so hard." You put your shower bag in the bathroom and take in how different you look. The last time you stood here was before you moved to New York. The ache to have Dani next to you pangs as you remember standing in your own bathroom this morning with a sleepy Dani brushing her teeth next to you.

"You'll be okay. And if things get overwhelming I'm only a phone call away."

"I love you." You go back into your room and grab some fresh clothes to change into after you shower.

"I love you too. Go take a shower and put your armor on." You sniffle and try to hide it, but she must hear you, "You're strong Santana. And those people, the ones who think something is wrong with you don't matter. Okay? Your parents matter and your family here matter. So go show them who you are and why I love you."

"Okay. Thank you."

"Go shower. Call me later."

When you put the phone down on the counter your shoulders drop and you see how tired you are right now. The shower feels wonderful. The hot water relaxes your muscles. You take your time getting ready; straightening your hair, applying make up, smoothing your dress down. When you look in the mirror you see what Dani has done to you, the softness that she brings out. You reach into your bag to put on your shoes when something catches your eye. The small box has a bow around it and Dani's neat handwriting _In case you need a little extra protection. _When you open the box there's a small necklace of a shield with a small D stamped into it. You smile as you pull the chain around your neck and see that it rests just over your heart.

You take another deep breath at the top of the stairs before descending to where your family is sitting. Your mom smiles when she sees you and stands to join you in the kitchen. "You look nice." She tells you as you sit on a bar stool and watch her fix you a plate.

"Thanks. Dani picked it out." You run your fingers over the shield again as you watch your mom pour you a large glass of sangria. "Isn't it a little early for you to be getting me drunk?"

"Do you really want to sit in there sober?" She raises her eyebrows at you.

"Uh, no. Not really. Thanks mom."

"You're welcome. Now tell me about your new apartment and this job."

"The apartment is great. It's so much quieter than living with the Wonder Twins. And I don't mind when I wake up to Dani singing. Which is a lot." You pause to take a few bites as your mom nods and smiles at you. "But she's got a few things in the works. There's this bar in the village that wants her to perform next month."

"That's good. What about you?" You know she knows about Dani's performance, they talk a lot. But she lets you brag.

"The internship is going really well, they've recommended me for a casting agency. That starts in a few months. My boss thinks I'd be really good at it."

"And you're still going to work at the diner?"

"Yeah. Gunther's pretty cool about working around what I need. Probably because Dani and I bring in more tips than anyone else."

The two of you chat about the party tonight and how excited your dad is to be retiring from the hospital. It's been his dream for as long as you can remember to open up a small private practice. When you finish she takes your plate and refills your glass of sangria before leading you to the living room. The alcohol dulls your senses enough to sit in a corner chair and pretend to care about what's going on.

"What?" You didn't hear your name called, mostly because everyone in the room has been ignoring you.

"I asked you how New York is treating you? Found a good man yet?" Your aunt Linda asks. And you can hear the venom under the question. She knows you're outnumbered here. And your mom is on the phone with someone in the kitchen.

"It's great." You drawl out. You don't want to take the bait, but that's the downside of your mom getting you buzzed. "And I happen to live with my girlfriend. Danielle. So it is wonderful thank you very much."

"And your parents are fine with you living in sin with another woman?" You really hate your aunt Linda. You've never been good enough for her.

"Yes. She's beautiful and smart and loves me. That seems to be working just fine for them. So how about you pull your head out of your ass and mind your own god damned business?" You stand and leave the room as everyone gasps and starts yelling at you for your language and that they pray for you every day. "I don't need your damn prayers. I am happy!"

You take your empty glass to the kitchen and refill it. Once you have a very full glass of sangria, you make your way to the backyard and sit on the old swing set. "I pray for you every day. Why can't you find a nice man Santana? Why do you want to shame your family so much Santana?" You mutter to yourself as you take a large gulp. "You know what? Go fuck yourself."

"Is that how you greet your father?" You turn around and smile as he comes to sit on the swing next to you.

"Hi daddy."

"How many of those have you had?" He asks as he points to your glass.

"Not enough."

"Aunt Linda?"

"Why does she hate me so much?"

"I don't think she hates you. She just doesn't understand."

"What is there to understand? I'm happy. Gay marriage is legal. What's her deal?" You whine.

"She has never left Ohio. She lives in a small town and has a small town mentality. You have always been smart and ambitious. I think she's afraid of you and probably jealous."

You sigh because sometimes you hate it when your dad is right.

"How is Dani?" He asks and smiles as he sees your face relax.

"She's great."

"Hold on to her. She makes you better."

"I know."

"You miss her?"

"Always."

"Good. That's how I feel about your mother. Come on nena. Let's go back and face the monsters."

"I'll be in in a few. I'm going to call Dani."

"Okay, baby girl." He stands from the swing and kisses your forehead before walking back into the house.

The phone only rings twice before she answers, "Are you drunk yet?"

"I love you." Is the only thing that comes out of your mouth.

"I know." You can hear the smile in her voice.

"I just wanted to remind you."

"I love you too."

"Thank you for being my extra armor."


	9. The Word of Your Body

_A/N: Prompt: First time. __**Please note the ratings change**__. Still taking prompts! Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows!_

* * *

This date is going really well. You're on your fifth date with Dani and things are going really well. You watch as she makes dinner, talking animatedly about the first time she cooked by herself.

"I set the pot on fire. I don't know how, but I did." She laughs at herself.

"What did you do?"

"I screamed really really loud." She laughs again, and you love her laugh.

"And then what happened?"

"My roommate came running into the kitchen. And he had this girl over, so he was half naked with his pants around his ankles."

"Gross." You laugh as you wrinkle your nose.

"But he put the fire out and gave me the twenty that fell out of his pocket to order something."

"That's strangely sweet."

"Yeah, he's a good guy. But the girl that he was with is a cook. And she ended up teaching me how to cook without setting anything on fire."

"That's either a really weird morning after or the best."

"It was awesome. She still sends me recipes."

"So what are you making now? Because it smells amazing."

"Putting the finishing touches on beef stroganoff. How about you sit down and I'll bring the plates."

"You don't need any help?" You offer.

"Nope. Go sit." She smiles at you.

You sit at the small table and smile as she brings you a plate. "Thank you, for inviting me over and for making me dinner."

"Well, I thought I would do something special for you." She winks over her wine glass and watches you take a bite.

"Oh my god. Dani, this is so good."

"Thanks." The silence between you is easy as the two of you eat. Something you're not used to. "So Rachel tells me that you were different in high school."

"Did she tell you I was a bitch?"

"I didn't believe her. You've been so sweet."

"Oh you should believe her. I was angry and trying to figure myself out." You shrug. "I actually made her life pretty miserable for a while. But now she's one of my best friends. Don't tell her I said that though."

Dani laughs and shakes her head, "Well I'm glad you're nicer now. We probably wouldn't have been friends in high school either."

"What makes you think that?" You cock your head to the side.

"I was not a cool kid. I was always writing song lyrics and was in my own world."

"Well, I'm glad I know you now." You smile at her and watch her blush.

The conversation flows easily and you sing quietly together as you help her clean up. She sends you to sit on the sofa while she lights a few candles and turns off the kitchen lights. When she joins you, it's straddling your lap.

"Hi." She whispers before she kisses you. It starts off slow and quickly heats up, with your hands gripping her hips to pull her closer. You're pretty sure you know where this night is going. You've been dating a little over a month, and while the old you would have jumped into bed halfway through date one, you didn't want to rush and ruin this. You like Dani, a lot, and you wanted to put feelings first.

"Hi." You whisper back when she pulls away from you to smile.

"I was thinking, if you wanted to –"

"I want to." You cut her off and feel her chuckle against your lips.

"You don't even know what I was going to ask you." She manages as you trail kisses down her neck. "Maybe I was going to pull out Monopoly." She gasps when you find her sweet spot on her neck and bite down gently, soothing it with your tongue. She stands and pulls your hand in the direction of her bed. When she drops your hand, it's to slowly start unbuttoning her shirt. When she drops it, she looks up at you with the darkest sexiest eyes you've seen. "You coming?"

"I'm planning on it." You smirk and make your way to her. Her skin is soft and warm as she moves to pull the zipper of your dress down. When she has you in your underwear you crawl onto her bed and kneel before her, unbuttoning and pulling her jeans down her thighs.

She joins you on the bed, "Are you sure?" She asks and traces her fingers gently down your arm to tangle your fingers together.

"Yes." You breathe and kiss her, "Are you?" She answers you with a kiss and lays you down on her bed.

You run your hands down her spine as you kiss her, unclasping her bra when you meet it. She sits up to pull it away from her body and your hands are quick to cup her breasts, she moans as you squeeze and pinch, rolling her over to suck one of her nipples into your mouth. "Santana, god that feels good." You feel her hips press up to meet your thigh and you push back, giving her some teasing friction. You kiss your way down her body, pulling her panties down her legs and smiling as she watches you.

The second your hands reach behind you to pull of your bra her eyes get a shade darker and her breathing quickens. Dani sits up to press your bodies together, and you love the feeling of her breasts against yours. Her hands slide down your now bare back to the top of your lace panties, she slides her hands underneath to squeeze at your ass before pulling them down and helping you pull them away from your feet.

"You are so so beautiful." You whisper as your hand trails between you to dip between her legs. She gasps as you circle her clit with the lightest touch, dipping lower to collect her wetness before circling her again. She moans and spreads her legs a little wider, one of her hands squeezing your breast while the other rests low on your hip. "So beautiful." You kiss her and lower her back to the bed.

"Oh Santana." She moans as you ease your fingers into her, building a steady rhythm of pumping in and out of her and circling her clit with your thumb. When you pull one of her nipples into your mouth and suck she moans and bucks her hips, so you pick up your pace, listening as she moans and begs. _More. Harder. Oh god. Yes. Santana._

Her hands claw at your back and pull you to kiss her, even as her breathing picks up and her moans get louder. She pulls you close as she comes and you feel her clench hard around your fingers as her back arches and she moans your name in a breathless high voice that you can't wait to hear again.

She opens her eyes as you slowly pull your fingers out of her and she smiles at you as she watches you suck your fingers into your mouth. Her smile fading as want and need take over. She pulls you back on top of herself, kissing you deeply and moaning. When your back hits the bed you look at her a little stunned and then gasp when she pinches one of your nipples harder than you expected. "You feel so good." She moans as she squeezes your breasts before sucking your nipple into her mouth and circling it with her tongue.

"Oh god that feels amazing." You moan as you thread your hands into her hair to keep her where you want her. "Don't stop." You pant as your hips rise to meet hers.

"I want to make you feel good baby." She whispers from between your breasts and you feel her fingers ghosting the inside of your thigh. Somewhere it registers that this is the first time she's called you baby, but all you can do is spread your legs wider and pull her to kiss you.

When her fingers circle your entrance you moan and cant your hips up, wanting her to fill you. "Please, oh god I want you inside. Please." She pushes inside of you and you both moan at how tight you clench around her. She kisses you hard and you are already so close. She presses her palm onto your clit and pulls at your nipple. "Dani. Dani. Yes." You pant her name and squeeze at her ass as she picks up her pace. You feel your body tighten and jerk as you come with her name drawn out on your lips.

She kisses you again, gently as she pulls her fingers out, mirroring you and sucking them between her lips. She moans and you feel your body jerk, still sensitive from the orgasm she just gave you. When she lays her body over yours, you feel the sweat from the two of you and her wetness coating your thigh. "You are incredible." You tell her between kisses.

"So are you." She tells you as she rests her head above your breast. You feel her breathing slow in time with yours, and as sleep pulls at your consciousness you feel yourself starting to fall just a little bit more.


	10. Warrior

_A/N: Prompt: Protective Santana. Dani gets into a bad situation and Santana comes to the rescue. Still taking prompts!_

When Rachel gives you all opening night tickets to _Funny Girl_, you couldn't be more proud. She's been through a lot in the last few months and you can finally see her old spark shining through. You also want it to be opening night so the reviews can come out and she will hopefully shut up. Every time Rachel mentions The New York Times or Ben Brantley, Dani squeezes your thigh or runs her hand down your back to keep you from strangling your roommate.

Dani takes you shopping and helps you find something sexy and classy that you know will keep her staring at you during the party. In turn you help her pick out a dress with a neckline that makes your mouth go dry. As soon as you described it to Rachel she made you swear you wouldn't have sex during the party.

You go to Dani's apartment to get ready, the two of you moving easily around one another in the small space. She zips your dress, leaving a kiss at the nape of your neck.

"Ready to go?" You ask as she puts the finishing touches on her make up.

"Is the car here?" You splurged and ordered a car to pick you up and drop you off at the theatre.

"Not yet. But it should be here any minute." You smile as you watch her and pick up your phone when you get a text saying the car has arrived. "Now the car is here. Ready?"

She picks up her clutch and kisses you, "Now I am."

When you get to the theatre, there are celebrities and cameras everywhere. She smiles at you as you take her hand and walk to the lobby. Dani sees Kurt first and pulls you away from the merchandise booth to join him at the bar.

"Well well, look at you Mr. Bond." You dust his shoulder and he rolls his eyes before taking in your outfits.

"I must say ladies, it is nice to see you in something that is not a red uniform."

"I could not agree more." Dani sighs and runs her hand to rest at the small of your back. "Should we go in?"

"Sounds like a good idea." You shrug and walk to the usher by the door.

You find your seats and are happy to find out that Rachel got you pretty good ones. You see her dads a few rows in front of you and give them a small wave when they see you.

When the lights dim, Dani takes your hand; you smile at her as the curtain rises. You don't stop smiling. Rachel is wonderful and you are so proud of her. Her hard work and non-stop singing and rehearsing and more rehearsing (okay maybe it annoyed the hell out of you) has paid off. At the start of curtain call you and Kurt are the first to jump to your feet, screaming for Rachel when she runs out on stage. You don't think you've ever seen her look so happy.

The three of you make your way to the opening night party, finding a table and pointing out all the celebrities who are there. By the time Rachel shows up the party is in full swing. You and Dani are on the dance floor, her hands resting on your shoulders while your hands grip her hips lightly. The applause is what stops the two of you and you both beam as Rachel makes her way into the room with her dads on either side.

You drag Dani off of the dance floor to where a crowd has formed around Rachel. Dani drops your hand and pushes you into the circle so you can wrap your arms around Rachel. She's a little stunned and the conversation around you quiets. When you pull away you put your hands on her face, "I am so fucking proud of you. And I forgive you for singing at three in the morning. You are amazing and I love you."

"Thanks Santana." She smiles and pulls you in for another hug.

"Congratulations Rachel." You hear Dani behind you and she hugs Rachel when she lets you go.

"Thank you, Dani."

When you hear Kurt shriek and start running you clear away from Rachel to let them have their moment. You pull Dani back towards the small table you snagged and sit down.

"It's really sweet how proud you are of her." Dani brushes some of your hair off of your shoulder.

"She's wanted to play this part since forever. And she finally looks happy."

"You're a good friend." You smile and let her lean in to kiss you lightly. "I'm going to get another glass of champagne, want one?"

"Yes please. Thank you baby." You watch her walk towards the bar, she puts an extra sway in her hips because she knows you're watching.

"You two are ridiculous." Kurt sighs as he takes Dani's empty seat.

"You're just jealous because I actually have her here. And the gelled wonder had midterms."

He sighs, "I know. If you screw this up I will kill you."

"I'm not going to." You get defensive.

"I didn't say you would, but we like her."

"I love her. I'm not going to fuck anything up."

The two of you are silent while Kurt watches you clench and unclench your jaw.

"I'm sorry, Santana. I know you're not going to do anything. And I know you love her. It's just that, Blaine isn't here and Rachel got her big opening night. And nothing is happening with the band. I feel stuck. And you and Dani are doing so great."

"So what, you're hoping I tank my relationship just to make you feel better?"

"No. I just want something good to come my way. That's all Santana. You know I love you and I think she's great. And I can see that she makes you happy."

You nod your head, still not believing him completely, "I'm going to go find Dani."

The area by the bar is crowded, but you don't see Dani anywhere. She isn't to the side or trailing after the waiters with fresh glasses of champagne. Maybe she went to find the bathroom. As you make your way through the throngs of people you look for Dani's fading red hair or her backless dress. You're about to open the door to the bathroom when you hear a slap. You can see a tall guy blocking a corner and flashes of deep blue. It clicks that it's the same color of Dani's dress and you're running for the corner.

"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"

The guy turns around and you can see Dani in the corner, her eyes wide. "This doesn't concern you."

"Well that's my girlfriend, so yes it does."

"Well you know what happens when you leave pretty ladies unattended."

"Creepy men corner them in dark hallways?"

"Men come in and show them what they're missing." He smirks, and you really want to hit him.

"Well, from where I'm standing I don't see any men. All I see is a creepy guy who can't find a decent woman so he feels the need to assault women who are way out his league." You reach for Dani's hand and pull her behind you, feeling her grip your hand tightly as she stands behind you. "Here's what you're going to do, take your sorry excuse of an ass out of this party."

"Oh? And who's going to make me?" He steps towards you and you feel Dani grip your hip.

"I am." The swift kick between his legs doubles him over, but you keep your foot there and pull him to his knees with another quick movement. "The next time you want to run your hands over a woman who is saying no, remember how it feels to have your balls married to my shoe. Got it? Now get the fuck out."

You watch him stumble to his feet and are quick to tell a waiter to make sure he leaves the party. "Are you okay?" You turn to Dani and run your hands up her arms, checking for any damage.

"Yeah, I'm okay. He scared me. But I'm okay." She nods, but you can see the way her hands shake.

"Do you want to leave?"

"No. I don't want to let one guy ruin a great night. No I want to stay."

"Are you sure?" You don't want her to stay just to make you happy.

"Yeah. Can you just stay with me?"

"Of course." You wrap your arm around her waist and walk back into the crowd. You stop at the bar and pick up more drinks before heading back to the table.

"Hey, there you are!" Rachel greets and smiles, until she sees how shaken up Dani is. "What happened?"

"Some guy cornered Dani, I took care of it." Dani kisses your shoulder before resting her head on it.

"What do you mean?" Rachel is now really concerned.

"She took care of it Rachel. It's okay. Really."

You spend the rest of the night with your arms around Dani. Or your hand splayed on Dani's back. Or Dani's hand in your own. She pulls you to the dance floor again and wraps her arms around you. "I love you."

"I love you too." You pull her close, ignoring the fast tempo pulsing through the speakers.

"Thank you, for being my warrior."

Instead of saying anything you kiss her in the middle of the dance floor and pull her just a little bit closer.


	11. (I Didn't) Kiss The Girl

_A/N: Prompt from __arianacabello__: Santana is caught kissing another girl (or vice versa)...hell breaks loose. Still taking (and filling) those prompts! Thanks for the reviews/follows/favs!_

Rachel's twenty first birthday is actually pretty fun. Even if you still have a few months before yours. You hate being the baby of the group. But Dani has assured you that being the youngest doesn't make you any less of a badass. You're pretty sure she's just saying that because of what you did in the shower. Actually, you know she's just saying it to make you feel better.

Dani's birthday a few months ago was quiet. She just wanted to spend a quiet night with you. Rachel on the other hand has opted for a large party after her show. "Jesus." You whisper as you walk into Glass House and see how many people are there.

"I think we're supposed to go to the back." Dani pulls your hand as you take in the people around you.

"I think I've seen every one of these people's headshots." You mutter.

Dani chuckles as she pulls your bag off of your shoulder and sets it on a booth in the corner. "Let's go find the birthday girl."

Rachel is standing by one of the tables, talking to one of the chorus boys from another show. He's clearly star struck and watches her intently. It's not often that a young unknown performer breaks onto the Broadway scene like Rachel did. Once she left _Funny Girl_ she did a string of workshops before landing the lead in a new musical. It's only in previews, but everyone is saying it'll be a hit. You should know, you helped cast it.

Not even twenty one and you're making a name for yourself in casting. Your last internship ended with a job offer. Dani is playing solo gigs in small clubs and open mic nights. The two of you are doing pretty well for yourselves.

"Hey!" Rachel spots you, and how is she already drunk?

"Oh god." You hear Dani whisper.

"Hey Rachel, happy birthday!" You hug her and help steady her as she sways you from side to side.

She lets you go and shouts, "Dani!" 

"Happy birthday Rachel. What are you drinking, the next one is on me."

"I'm drinking, what am I drinking?" She asks the chorus boy next to her.

"She's drinking a martinez." He announces.

"Yes. And it is so delicious." She nods and downs the rest of her drink.

"Alright, I'm going to the bar. Baby, do you want anything?"

"Whatever the hell drunky here is drinking is good. Thanks." You kiss her cheek as she makes her way to the bar.

"Did you know, Jeremy, that Santana here helped me get cast in my show?" Jeremy must be the chorus boy.

"Really?" He looks at you with renewed interest.

"Yeah, it's my job."

"Which is?" You don't know if you like this guy.

"I'm an associate casting director."

"So can I give you – "

"I'm not working right now. I'm here to celebrate my friend's birthday." He frowns but thankfully Dani returns with drinks. "Thanks." You kiss her and smile

"Thank you Dani." Rachel drawls out.

You cruise from conversation to conversation throughout the night. Finding it easy to talk to Rachel's friends and coworkers. What you don't like is how Jeremy and his blonde friend eye you throughout the night. Dani brings you another drink and kisses you before going back to talking to the composer of Rachel's show.

You watch her walk away and turn to find Jeremy and the blonde standing in front of you. "I hear you're a casting director." The blonde says and is standing a little too close to you.

"Uh, yeah."

"I'm Alex."

"Santana."

"You have a beautiful name, Santana." Her arm is against the wall by your head. And when you're sober you'll see everything a little more clearly.

"Thanks."

"So how do you like casting things?"

"It's fun. I get to be a judgmental bitch and get paid for it."

"You're way too beautiful to be a bitch."

"Uh, thanks?" Maybe those shots you took with Rachel were a bad idea. (They were.)

"So how about I audition for you?" You look around and realize that it's just the two of you. It's just the two of you in a dark corner of a very busy bar.

"I don't – that's not –" She cuts you off by grabbing your face and kissing you. Her tongue working its way into your mouth. You wave your hands, spilling your drink because you don't know what to do. You know you want to get her off of you, but your brain isn't working. When you do shove her away, you see Dani standing behind her. And she looks mad. "It's not what it looks like!" Is the first thing out of your mouth.

"And what is it that I'm looking at?" She crosses her arms and pulls her shoulders back.

"Look, its not my fault you can't keep your hands away from this." Alex explains and waves her arm towards her body.

"What?" You're feeling much more sober now. You really don't want this crazy woman to make Dani doubt you. You've already worked through whatever body image issues Dani has had in the past, and this woman is not going to help.

"I saw you checking me out."

"What?" When did you lose your vocabulary? "Baby, I was looking for you. I swear."

Dani eyes Alex and puts her arm around your waist. "You can go now."

"Excuse me?"

"I said you can go. And if you so much as look at my girlfriend again, I will rip your vocal chords out."

"You're crazy."

"And you kissed my girlfriend."

As Alex walks by you she whispers, "Here's my number for when you want to ditch her."

What you don't expect is for Dani to grab her wrist and punch her. "Next time it'll be your throat."

"You're fucking crazy and I'm calling security." She shouts as she cradles her jaw.

"Time to go." You announce and grab Dani's hand and your purses before leaving as quickly as possible.

When you make it to the street you look at Dani and how angry she looks, "Baby?"

"What the hell Santana?" She's shaking her hand out from punching Alex.

"I didn't know she was going to do that! I just thought she was trying to get me to cast her – oh." She was going to treat you to a casting couch session. Gross.

"Did you not see her staring at you all night?"

"No? I was starting at your ass all night."

She shakes her head and laughs, "You are hopeless."

"You punched a girl. In the face. Oh my god you punched a girl in the face, are you okay?" You pick up her hand and notice a little bit of swelling. And then you see Alex waving her hands through the window, "We should go home. Now."

You pull her down the street and hail a cab to take you downtown to your apartment. Once you get home, you sit her on the sofa and find a bag of ice for her knuckles.

"She kissed you. She kissed you and I really didn't like it." She whispers as you gently press the ice to her hand.

"I didn't either. She actually scared me when she did."

"Really?"

"There's no one else I need to be kissing. And you probably shouldn't be punching anyone, even if they're kissing me."

"Well, I really didn't like it."

You pull the ice away and see that the swelling has gone down but that she'll have a bruise. When you press a gentle kiss to her knuckles she smiles at you, and then you kiss her. "You're my little badass."


	12. Something's Coming

_A/N: Prompt from Paula de Roma: Dani finds out she is pregnant with their first child. There is a perspective change in this one. Still taking those prompts! Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows!_

* * *

The studio lights are too bright and the headphones around your neck feel too constricting. And maybe that salad you had for lunch was laced with salmonella. This week has been harder than usual, you need to record two songs for a huge top secret animated film, Santana's birthday is coming up and oh god, so is the salad. You run to the closest trashcan in the studio and fall to your knees.

"You okay in there?" You hear your producer's voice come in through the speakers.

You wave your hand, not wanting anyone to come in. Of course the intern ignores you and rushes to bring you a bottle of water. "Are you okay?"

"I feel like shit." You groan as you sit back against the wall.

"Do you want me to call your wife?"

"No, no don't call Santana. She'll just panic because – " Your mind clears and a lot of things start to click. You're nauseous, your back hurts, and your breasts are super tender. "Oh."

"Dani?"

"I need you to do me a favor and I need you to not tell anyone." You pull her face close to yours.

"Oh - okay. It's not illegal is it?"

"No. In my bag is my wallet. Take some cash, go to the store and buy me a pregnancy test." She gasps and stares at you with wide eyes. "Tell no one. Are we clear?"

"Yes."

"Good, now hurry." You lean back again and sip the water. What if you're pregnant? The timing seems to be right, you and Santana had done the insemination a week and a half ago and they tell you to wait two weeks. But you really feel awful and your head is telling you to trust your body.

When you brought up the subject of starting a family a few months ago, Santana nodded and cried telling you she couldn't wait to start a family with you. She's been trying to figure out how to bring the subject up herself. You had both discussed who would carry and decided that you would try first. The trying started seven months ago and it was starting to weigh you both down. What if you couldn't? What if something was wrong with you? Santana had of course been wonderful and supportive, always telling you that just because it didn't take didn't mean something was wrong.

You hear Marcus come into the studio and see his worn converse in front of you, "Dani?"

"Huh?" How long have you been sitting here?

"Why don't we take a break? I think Angela went to get you some ginger ale."

"Oh, great." You take his offered hand and sway a little unsteadily on your feet.

"Maybe we should call it a day. You look a little pale and we've been working pretty hard."

"Can I sit down a little before you send me home?"

He laughs, "Of course. We can wait for Angela to get back."

"Great. Hopefully I'll feel better tomorrow and we can finally finish recording this thing." You know you're not going to be feeling better, happier, hopefully. Better? Probably not.

You sit in the corner of the recording studio and wait for Angela to come back. Hopefully she actually got you a ginger ale, you really don't want to explain to Marcus why you're taking a brown paper bag into the bathroom. Thankfully she comes back while Marcus is busy on the phone with one of the movie executives. You can hear him explaining that when a Grammy winning artist isn't feeling well, you don't push her.

"I got you a ginger ale too. It helped my sister a lot when she was, you know."

"Thanks." You take the bag from her and slip into the bathroom. Your hands shake as you open the box and you have to calm yourself down before sitting to pee on the test. You set the test on the counter and wash your hands slowly before sitting on the closed toilet seat. What if it's positive? You want it to be, but you don't want to get ahead of yourself. After months of disappointment, Santana holding you while you cry out your fears, you don't want to get your hopes up too high when she's not in the room to catch you.

The timer on your phone goes off and you take a few deep breaths before picking the test up. Your eyes water immediately as you see the positive that reads in the window. You gasp and laugh, wiping your tears away with your sleeve. You place the test back in the box and into the paper bag. When you step out of the bathroom, Angela gives you a small smile and nods while she hands you your purse.

"I called you a car to take you home. And there are ginger altoids in your bag."

"Thank you." You whisper, and give her a tight hug.

"Congratulations." She whispers into your ear. You smile when you pull away from her and walk towards the entrance of the studio.

Marcus catches up to you before you leave, "Hey, feel better. Let me know if I can do anything for you. Or if you need more time off."

"Thanks Marcus, I'll call you tomorrow and let you know." You smile and squeeze his shoulder before making your way outside and into the waiting car. You look out the window as you think of ways to tell Santana when she gets home. Your hand is already resting over your stomach, and you imagine what it'll feel like a few months from now.

When you get home the first thing you do is step into the shower. The hot water helps clear your head as you run your hands down your body. You've wanted a baby for so long and you're trying to picture how you'll look as you pop and grow. And then you picture Santana's hands on you as you pop and grow, and your smile grows.

You step out of the shower and pull on a loose pair of jeans and one of Santana's worn t-shirts. When you look at the clock, you see that you have about two hours before Santana will be home. Opening the fridge turns out to be a terrible idea because it sends you retching over the toilet. You sit on the sofa and pull your phone out, scrolling through yours and Santana's favorite take out places. "Thai food." You mumble and scroll to find your favorite place. You put in the order, asking for it to be delivered a little before Santana should be getting home.

Sitting at the dining table seems too formal, but sitting on the sofa doesn't feel right either. So you clear off the coffee table and grab extra pillows from the guest room. Then you find an unopened box of candles and set them around the living room. As soon as the food arrives, you set it on the coffee table and busy yourself with lighting the candles around the apartment. You keep thinking of ways to bring it up. Should you ease into a conversation? Should you show her the test?

The front door opens and Santana steps in, pulling her heels off and leaving them by the door and dropping her bag on the entry table.

"Hey baby, do I smell Thai? Because my day was awful and it smells like heaven in here."

"I'm pregnant." You blurt out and watch her freeze. Okay, so maybe easing into a conversation was not going to happen.

"Really?" You see the tension drop from her shoulders as she slowly walks toward you.

"Yeah." You nod and feel your eyes water as she stands in front of you, her hand hovering over your stomach. You take her hand and press it to your skin as she cups your face and kisses you.

"We're going to have a baby?" You nod against her forehead and laugh at the wonder in her voice. "We're going to have a baby."


	13. A Very Nice Prince(ss)

_A/N: Prompt from Rioux: Dani meets Santana's parents. Still taking (and filling) prompts!_

* * *

"Baby, they're going to love you." You watch as Dani changes her shirt for the fourth time.

"How do you know?" She paces to your makeshift closet and pulls out a different shirt to pull over her head. It's backwards.

"Because I love you and you make me happy." You stand and pull her shirt over her head.

"What are you doing? I'm about to meet your parents and you want to have sex?" Her voice rises in pitch and you laugh before kissing her nose.

"Your shirt was backwards."

"Oh."

"It's going to be fine."

"I don't, I don't do well with parents." She whispers and you run your hands down her shoulders to hold her hands. You pull her to sit on your bed and wait for her to talk. "It's just, my parents didn't take it so well when they found me in the basement."

"Haven't you met any of your ex's parents?" You ask softly. Dani just shakes her head. "Why not?"

"I was scared. I never really got along with my parents and then they didn't react so well." She shrugs like it isn't a big deal, but you know it is. The two of you don't talk about her family often.

"Look at me, my parents are going to love you. They know you make me happy, and that's all that matters." You cup her cheek and kiss her again. "Now put your shirt on and let's finish making dinner."

"Do you think we need to clean the living room more?" She looks around the loft and pulls on the sleeves of her shirt.

"You cleaned it four times. Baby, it's fine." You laugh as you check the timer on the microwave.

"Should I hide my things?" She's talking to herself more than you at this point as she paces between your room and the sofa.

"What?" You pull the salad out of the fridge and start setting out the wine glasses.

"If they see my stuff they're going to know I sleep here. If they know I sleep here, they're going to know I'm having sex with their daughter. Oh god. They know I've seen you naked." She sinks onto the sofa and you're starting to wonder if you should cancel dinner.

"Dani, they know I'm in a relationship. They're not stupid. But they're probably going to do what most parents do."

"What's that?" She mumbles into her hands.

"Pretend that I'm a virgin who falls asleep completely clothed and holding hands."

Dani snorts and rests her head on your shoulder. "You really think they'll like me?"

"I think they're going to love you." You kiss her forehead and pull her close, "Now help me finish setting the table. They should be here soon."

The two of you busy yourselves with setting the table for their arrival. Since you opted to stay in New York for Christmas they decided to come visit you after the New Year. You really want them to meet Dani, she's important to you and you want them to see that you're building a future with her. Dani doesn't realize that their approval means a lot to you too. You've been playing it down to keep her nerves at bay.

When you hear a knock on the loft door, Dani stiffens and looks panicked. "I'll get it. It'll be fine. Just remember that I love you." She nods and lets you kiss her before you walk to the door and slide it open. As soon as the door opens, your father has you wrapped up in a tight hug. "Hi daddy."

"Hi baby girl." He kisses the top of your head and moves to let your mom wrap her arms around you.

"Hi sweetheart."

"Hi mom." She kisses your cheek and steps aside to let you close the door. "Welcome to the loft!" They look around and follow you to the kitchen, where you take Dani's hand. "This is Dani."

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Lopez. It's nice to meet you." Dani says from next to you as she squeezes your hand.

"Hello Dani, it's nice to finally meet you." Your mom comes up to her and holds her shoulders before hugging her. You watch Dani's arms flail for a second before wrapping her arms around her.

"You told us she was pretty Santana, but you didn't say how beautiful she is." Your dad puts his arm around you and smiles.

Dani blushes, "Thank you."

"Don't embarrass the poor girl. Santana, why don't you give us a tour." Your mom smiles at Dani and follows you to the living room.

"Uh, this is the living room. Over there are Rachel and Kurt's rooms. Over here is mine." You pull the curtain aside and realize what Dani was talking about earlier. The table to the left of your bed is covered in Dani's things, her guitar is in the corner and she has books of sheet music on the floor. You hear the microwave timer go off and see Dani walk away from your room.

"It's a lovely space Santana." Your mom smiles, "How nervous is she?" She whispers so only the three of you can hear.

"She cleaned the living room four times and reorganized my room."

"She's lovely." Your mom kisses your cheek and walks back to the living room with your dad. "Dani, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Uh, could you open the wine?" Dani is cutting the lasagna she made and serving it onto plates. "Santana, can you get the salad dressing?"

"Sure baby."

Your parents sit down and watch as the two of you move around the kitchen to serve dinner. You can see the two of them smiling as they watch you. "This smells amazing, Dani did you make this?" Your dad asks.

"Santana helped." Dani smiles as she sits down to eat.

"I watched. She did everything." You lean over and kiss her cheek.

Your dad picks up his wine glass, "To Santana and her new adventure and new love." Everyone clinks their glasses before starting to eat. You watch Dani watch your parents as they take their first bites. "Dani, you have to give us the recipe before we leave. This is delicious."

"Thank you."

"Santana tells us you play guitar." Your mom says, even though she already knows. You talk about Dani all the time when you call her.

"Yeah, I've been playing since I was a kid. I give a few private lessons to kids too."

"Really? How is that?" Your dad asks, and you see Dani start to relax.

"I love it. They're so smart, and they pick up new songs really quickly. It also helps pay my rent." She laughs as she takes a bite.

"She also writes some amazing songs. She's going to be famous one day."

"I look forward to hearing you on the radio some day then." Your mom smiles and Dani blushes again.

Dinner goes much smoother than Dani had expected. You watched her talk about music with your parents and she even tells a few funny stories about working in the diner.

The four of you end up sitting in the living room, your parents on the sofa and the two of you curled together in an armchair.

"So Dani, how did this start?" Your dad asks.

"Didn't Santana tell you?"

"She did, but I'd like to hear your side."

"We uh, we were working at the diner together. For what, three weeks? She wouldn't say anything to me. Just stare from across the room. I don't think she knew I knew she was watching me. And then Rachel started working with us. At first I thought maybe they were together, until I saw Rachel push her over to me. That and she told me that Santana had a crush on me."

"She did what?" You did not know that.

"It's fine babe. I asked her to stay and watch the sunrise with me and she walked me home."

"And here you are." Your mom says and smiles.

"And here we are. I couldn't be happier." She kisses your shoulder.

"Well ladies, thank you for dinner. But I think it's time we head back to our hotel. Will we see you for breakfast?" Your dad stands and helps your mom to her feet.

"Yeah, we'll be there." You nod.

"Dani, it was so wonderful to finally meet you." Your mom hugs her and you see that she whispers something to her.

"You did good baby girl. She's a keeper." Your dad kisses the top of your head and walks over to Dani and hugs her.

"Goodnight sweetheart. She's lovely."

"Thanks mom. Goodnight. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night Mr. and Mrs. Lopez."

When it's just the two of you, you pull her close and kiss her. "See, they love you."

"They're really nice." She sighs and relaxes her body into yours.

"How about you pour us two more glasses of wine while I put the food away. And I will join you on the sofa in a few minutes."

"That sounds perfect."

Once the food is put away and most of the lights are off, you sit on the sofa and feel Dani curl around you. "What did my mom say to you?"

"Hmm?"

"My mom, when she hugged you goodbye." You ask as you take a sip of your wine.

"Oh, she thanked me for making you look so happy."

"See, I told you they would love you."


	14. Potion Notion

_A/N: Prompts from __Chairytale Ending and Lesliemn__: Drunk Dantana/Someone walking in on them making out. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! Still taking and filling prompts!_

* * *

You love having a fake ID. And you love that Dani has a fake ID. You love living in New York. You love this bar. You're…little drunk. You sway a little as you carry fresh Coronas for you and Dani back to your table.

"Thanks babe. Ready to play darts?" Dani kisses your cheek and pulls your hand to where the dartboard is.

"But I'm not good at it." You whine before taking a sip of your beer.

"I'll teach you." She pulls you to stand in front of her and hands you a dart, "Okay, plant your feet here. Good. Now bring the dart up, good." Dani places one of her hands on your hip while the other slides up your arm to guide your wrist.

"Like this?" Dani's hands feel good on your body. When did it get so hot in here?

"Yeah," she breathes. "Now line it up, and just throw." She bites down lightly on your shoulder and the dart ends up in the floor.

"Dani," you whine, although you're not sure if it's from your mounting sexual frustration or – no, it's the sexual frustration.

"You just have to try again." She taunts as she walks around you to pull the dart from the floor, giving you a nice view of her ass.

You take another sip of your beer, "How about you show me?" She smiles and steps in front of you, lining herself up and landing the dart just left of the bulls-eye. "Again." She grabs another dart and lines herself up again. This time you step behind her, your body pressed flush against hers. You hear her breath hitch when she feels your breasts pressed against her back. This time her dart is to the left of the board.

"Cheater." She turns and kisses you before grabbing her beer and smacking your ass.

You play a few more rounds and drink a few more beers. Your vision is a little (a lot) blurry and you can no longer see the dartboard. Probably because you're crying. Why are you crying? Dani is at the bar getting two more beers and closing out the tab while you stand and try to throw the dart. Darts are not your thing.

"Babe?" Dani asks, concern in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"I can't, I can't throw the thing and hit the thing." You have the dart in your hand as you wave your arm. Dani gently takes the dart from your hand and wipes some of your tears away. "And you're really good. And really sexy. And I can't hit the stupid dot." You hiccup.

"Baby, its just darts." Her hands smooth over your shoulders and down your waist, where she squeezes your ass. "We can go home and do something we're both good at." She pulls you close and you're emotions don't know what to do.

You sniffle and more tears run down your face, "What's that?"

"Well, it involves you," she kisses you, "and me," again, "and no clothes."

"Okay." You sniffle and somewhere deep down you know how pitiful you sound.

"Let's go home." She pulls you out of the bar and hails a cab and rattles off your address.

As soon as the door is closed she's as close to you and she can get without sitting in your lap. Her lips and hands are everywhere and you really want this cab to go faster. When there's traffic on the bridge, you burst into tears again. "Why can't we go faster?"

"Look lady, there's traffic. I'm going as fast as I can." The cabbie mumbles to the partition window.

"We'll be there soon." Dani mumbles as she sucks on your neck.

"But – "

"Hey, no sex in the cab." He says louder. And this time you both groan.

By the time you pull the loft door open, Dani has her hands under your shirt and has started to pull your bra off. You pull her to the sofa and sit, letting her fall into your lap. Your bra is somewhere by the door (Kurt will find it in the morning) and her hands have replaced it. You moan into her mouth as your hands work at unbuttoning her shirt.

Your tears stop around the time her shirt gets thrown to the floor. Dani moans loudly as you kiss your way down her neck and to the tops of her breasts. You pull her hips down onto you and moan as you pull a nipple into your mouth and suck. "God Santana." She buries her hands in your hair and moans again. Loudly.

And then the lights turn on and Kurt shrieks. Dani wraps her arms around her breasts, and buries her face in your shoulder as she starts to laugh.

"What the fuck?" You shout and squint as your eyes adjust to the lights.

"Santana," Rachel sighs. "We talked about this. No sex in the living room."

"We already have to hear you. Do we have to see it too?" Kurt asks as he covers his eyes and waves his arm around dramatically.

"Just, go to your room. Please." Rachel whines and walks back behind her curtain, turning off the lights. She pulls Kurt with her, both of them muttering about finding their earplugs.

"Come on baby," let's go to my room. "Dani?" You push some of her hair to the side and see that she's fallen asleep. "Of course. Why did I think anything else would happen?" You kiss the side of her head before slowly standing and carrying her to your bed. As soon as her body hits the mattress she curls onto her side, looking for you. You pull her pants off before stepping out of yours and then crawl onto the bed. Whenever she's drunk she always want to be the big spoon, so you scoot back until you feel her arm wrap around you pull you close.


	15. Children and Art

_A/N: Prompt from __Canver07081994: Santana and Dani talk about having kids. Still taking prompts! Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows!_

* * *

You balance the large box on your hip as you press the button on the elevator to take you up to your apartment. Dani's Christmas present arrived and now you need to get it upstairs and wrapped before she gets home. She's been talking about this new electronic music _thing_ for weeks. You have no idea what it does and it took you two weeks to find the damn thing. The box isn't that heavy, just large and awkward. Once you push your way into the apartment you hear singing. "Shit."

The singing stops and then you hear Dani, "Santana? What are you doing home?"

"I uh, we finished early." Maybe you can make it to your office before she sees you.

"What's in the box?" There goes that plan.

"Stuff?"

"You don't know?" You still can't see her, but you know she's standing in front of you.

"I'm going to go put this down."

"Okay." She drawls out, and you can see her face in your wind. Head tipped to the side and eyebrows pinched together. You put the box down in your office and find your post-its. _Open this and no sex until after Christmas._ Dani won't touch it.

When you make it back to the living room, Dani is sitting on the sofa with a mug of what smells like peppermint tea. "What's with the box?"

"Hi baby, how was your day? Oh mine was fine. Thanks for asking." You roll your eyes as you kiss the top of her head before going to the kitchen and filling the kettle.

"My day was fine. We put the finishing touches on the cover. The listening party is still Saturday. How was your casting session? What's in the box?"

You chuckle, she can be so curious and impatient, "Casting went fine. We made offers for all of the principal roles. The box is for Christmas. Don't you dare touch it."

"But, I want to see what it is now." She whines.

"Nope. Two weeks, you can open it in two weeks." You know if she opens it now, she's going to want to play with it and rewrite her new album. Again.

She groans and you chuckle as you pour the hot water into your mug. "You still have Saturday off?" She asks as you join her on the sofa.

"Of course. I wouldn't miss it for anything. Have I told you how proud I am of you?" And you are, this is her second album and it's even better than her first. There's already a lot of awards buzz around her and she's only released two singles.

"Not today." She smiles and settles into the side of your body.

"Well I am." You kiss her forehead and let the silence around you settle. You never thought you'd settle into domestic life so well. But you've been married for almost three years and you've never been happier. Dani is a top selling artist and you're now the top casting agent at your company.

Your life couldn't be better. But lately you've been feeling this itch that you can't describe. Something feels like it's missing. Or more like you're missing something that you don't have, but you don't know what you don't have. It leaves you awake at night, your arms wrapped around Dani as she sleeps.

"Something on your mind? I can hear your brain going into overdrive." Dani pulls away from you to cup your cheek.

"Do you feel like something is missing?"

"Like, we were robbed? Or we need to go to the grocery store?" Dani looks at you and cocks her head to the side.

"No. Like, I don't know how to describe it. It just feels like I'm missing something that we don't even have." You sigh in frustration because you don't know how to describe what you're feeling. You don't even know what it is that you're feeling.

"Okay. Well, I'm here when you figure it out. Okay, baby?"

"Yeah, okay." You sigh again because you're frustrated with yourself for not being able to figure out what is wrong with you.

The feeling sits at the back of your mind for the rest of the week. It pops up in the lulls between auditions, while you're on the subway, and most of all when you hold Dani at night. Your brain tries to give you hints as your hands rest lower and lower on Dani's stomach at night, your thumb caressing the soft skin there. But the feeling is still just out of reach.

It clicks while you're at the listening party at the recording studio. Dani's producer's wife is pregnant and Dani can't stop feeling the baby kick, which apparently is a lot. And then there's the drummer and his wife and their seven month old who won't stop smiling. When Dani picks him up and smiles it feels like the world stops spinning, corrects itself and then goes back to spinning. "Oh." You want a baby. You want you and Dani to have a baby. You want to see Dani pregnant and round and glowing. You want to knock up your wife. How do you approach that? Dani smiles at you from across the room, her hands holding the little boy as she sways from side to side.

The rest of the night is perfect. Everyone loves the album and can't wait for the release next week. It's the perfect Christmas album without actually being a Christmas album. You've also had your hands around Dani's waist for most of the evening, your hand resting over something that doesn't exist yet. You're buzzing with the knowledge of what you want, but you still don't know how to bring up the topic with Dani.

She rests her head on your shoulder in the car on the way home, but you can feel her smiling. "I am so proud of you. I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for being with me." You're not sure if she's thanking you for being there tonight or in life. You'll take either.

"Nowhere else I'd rather be." You press a kiss to the top of head and watch the streetlamps go by.

When you get home you both move around each other with ease as you get ready for bed. You both slide in together and Dani turns to face you, one arm snaking under your pillow while the other rests on your hip. "Can I talk to you about something?" She's quiet, and you know whatever it is, it must be important. Your bed has always been a safe place for the two of you.

"Of course." You whisper back.

"I – I think I want a baby. No, I know I do. I want to have a baby. I want to have a family with you." She looks into your eyes the whole time, and her breath hitches as she finishes.

"Really?" You whisper, and you feel your eyes start to water. A few tears slide down your cheek and she is quick to wipe them away.

"Really. I didn't even know I wanted it until I was holding Jack and you smiled at me. And I thought about how that could be us. I could be holding our son or daughter and have you smile at us."

"Yes. That's what I couldn't figure out the other day. That's what's missing." You close the gap between the two of you and kiss her. It's gentle but deep, and she grips your hip a little tighter.

When she pulls away she whispers again, "I want to have our baby."

"Really?" You ask her in awe. You're a little relieved you don't have to ask her.

"At least our first." She whispers against your lips and you let your hand press to her stomach.

"When do you want to start?"

"Tomorrow." She laughs, but you know she's serious.

"Okay." You kiss her again and pull her body as close to yours as possible. "I can't wait to be a mom with you."

"Me too."

You push her onto her back and slide down her body, pushing her shirt up just under her breasts. You kiss the skin above her bellybutton, wondering what it'll feel like to kiss her again when you know there's life in there. (It'll be amazing.)

* * *

_A/N 2: To the guest who wanted Santana's first I love you, that's the first one that I wrote! Also, kudos to anyone who's picking up on the chapter titles._


	16. California Girls

_A/N: Prompts from __Paula de Roma__ and Penny: __Dani is obsessed with Santana's abs__/ First vacation together. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! Still taking prompts!_

* * *

When you get a phone call from your mom saying that she and your dad have unused miles that are about to expire, and would you like to use them, your answer is _fuck yes_. So now you're on a plane to San Diego with Dani next to you. Your suitcase is full of your summer clothes, because New York is still thawing and you can't wait to lie in the sun for a few hours.

Dani grips your hand as the plane flies through some turbulence, "You okay baby?"

"I really don't like planes." She grits and grips your hand even tighter.

"It's okay. I'm right here."

"That doesn't help. If we die, then we're going to die together. And that makes me sad. I would want you to move on and be happy. Not die too." She rambles and you kiss the side of her head, trying not to laugh.

"We're not going to die." You whisper into her ear.

"You don't know that!" She cries out and the kid in the row next to you looks over and rolls his eyes. You glare at him until he goes back to whatever video game he's playing.

"Baby, it's just some turbulence. We'll be fine. And then we'll be landing in California. Why don't you try and take a nap?"

"A nap?"

"Yeah, turn on your iPod and take a nap. We'll be in California before you know it." You smile as you reach into her bag for her iPod and hand it to her.

"Fine. Wake me up if the plane is on fire."

"Okay baby." You kiss her again and let her rest her head on your shoulder, she's still gripping your hand, but that's fine.

When she wakes up the plane is already on the ground. "See?"

"Shut up." She mumbles and lets you pull her into the aisle to make your way off of the plane.

You hold both of your coats while you wait for your luggage to arrive and laugh because Dani can't stop looking out the large windows. "It's so sunny out. I think I forgot what the sky is supposed to look like."

It's true, the sky back home has been grey and cloudy for the last two months. "I know. We're hitting the beach as soon as possible."

"Deal. Wait, what time is it?"

"Eleven. So maybe we'll grab lunch and then go to the beach?" You suggest and point out your large suitcase as it falls to the carousel.

Once Dani is dragging the bag behind her, you go look for the car rental shuttle. "Do you even know where the beach is?"

"It's California, a whole side of the state is the beach."

You don't know how to find the beach. You found the hotel, you found In-N-Out, but you can't find the beach. "I can see it! Why can't I get to it?"

"Maybe we should ask?"

"I can find it!" You're determined. You've been driving for thirty minutes trying to find the beach you can see from the road. "Why are there so many cliffs?"

"Look, there's a sign for La Jolla Shores. Follow that." She points, and you take the left turn.

Sure enough, you find the beach. The two of you make your way from the parking lot to the sand and drop your bags. Dani gives the two of you just enough time to strip down to your swim suits before grabbing your hand and running towards the water. She stops when the water is to your calves and laughs as she pulls you close.

"We're in the Pacific ocean!" She squeals and you laugh again, kissing her as the water laps at your legs.

"We are." The two of you stand in the water kissing for a few minutes before you head back to where your bags are. You spread your towels and spray on sunscreen, your mouth going dry as you watch Dani in her bikini. You've seen her naked plenty of times, but something about her in a bikini really makes you want her to not be wearing it anymore. She looks at you the same way and you both clear your throats. Exhibitionism is not your thing, you have a hotel room all to yourselves for that later.

The two of you lie in content silence, listening to the ocean and holding hands while you soak up the sun. You take a few more dips in the ocean, letting the water cool your warm skin before lying back down and soaking up even more sun.

"You look really really sexy in that bikini." Dani whispers as you roll onto your back again.

"Oh?" You smirk, as she runs her hands over your abs. Again, you've been naked together, a lot. But something about being on a beach with a bikini has made everything so much sexier. She nods her head and you smile. "Well, you look delicious."

"We should go back to the hotel." Her voice has dropped another octave.

"I thought you wanted to watch the sunset."

"Fuck the sunset." She stands and brushes the sand off of her thighs before pulling her shorts on. She has most of her bag packed before she notices that you haven't moved. "Santana." She whines.

"Yes?" You sit up and push your sunglasses to the top of your head.

"You need to hurry." She sounds frustrated, but you know this frustration. It's late nights at the diner and not being able to get home fast enough. Or that time you wore a lace up dress.

"And why is that?" You tease as you slowly stand, her eyes following the lines of you stomach as you stretch to grab your shorts.

"Because I don't think old ladies and little kids want to watch me fuck you."

Oh. Well then. You roll up your towel and throw everything into your bag, not bothering to put your tank top back on. Dani grabs your hand and you both jump into the car and listen as the GPS guides you back to the hotel.

Thankfully you miss traffic and make it back in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of Dani gripping your thigh and squeezing hers together. As soon as the hotel door is closed and locked, Dani has you pressed against the closest wall, her tongue running up your neck as she pulls at the string for your bikini top. Before you know it you're naked and lying on the large bed, watching Dani strip out of her clothes and bikini.

Dani crawls onto the bed and lays her body over yours, you feel the sweat, sunscreen and grit from the ocean, but you really don't care right now. Especially since she's kissing you like she's been starved. Her hands move from your hair down to pinch at your nipples and then down to scratch at your abs. "Jesus, Dani." You moan as she rakes her fingers over your stomach again, and then a third time.

"So so sexy." She nips at the skin over your collarbones and then down between your breasts. She only does that when she's really turned on, and as she gently bites the swell of your breast, you know she's _really_ turned on.

You hiss at the overstimulation, she's sucking and pulling at your nipples while you cant your hips up and feel her grind down onto your thigh. "Dani," you moan and watch she slides down your body to lick at the defined lines of your stomach. When she looks up at you her eyes are big and dark, and then she smiles at you.

Dani sits up and pulls her body to straddle you. Your jaw drops as she moves to grind her sex down onto your abs, and god you can feel how wet she is as she drags her clit across your skin. Dani palms your breasts as she grinds harder and you start to flex your abs to helps her.

"Oh god, Santana. You feel so good." She moans as you pull her hips down a little bit harder.

This may be the sexiest thing she's done yet and you watch as she moves closer and closer to her orgasm, your body responding in kind. You're probably going to come just from watching her. "Come on baby. I want to watch you." You husk and see her shiver as she grinds down again a little harder.

She's panting and moaning and sweaty and the sexiest woman you've ever seen. You feel her come before you see her; your abs wetter, slicker as she cries out your name and falls forward onto your body. You feel your own body jerk, more gently, but _jesus_ she made you come without even touching you.

You hold her for a few minutes, feeling her breathing calm as you stroke the slick skin of her back. "Not that I'm complaining, but what was that?"

"You just look really sexy in a bikini." She chuckles. "And your abs are fucking amazing."

"Clearly."

* * *

_A/N 2: Well, that escalated quickly._


	17. Poor Baby

_A/N: Prompt: Dani, Kurt, and Rachel teasing Santana for being the youngest. Thanks for the reviews/prompts (still taking them!)/favs/follows._

* * *

You hate everyone right now. You really want to go to this new cocktail bar in Astoria and you can't find your fake ID. You've torn through the loft and are ready to call Dani so you can come over and search her place too. That's until she pulls the loft door open.

"Hey Dani." Rachel calls from her place in the kitchen, she's making more of those vegan brownies since she has the next week off.

"Hey guys. Baby, what are you doing?" She sees you looking under the sofa.

"Looking for my ID." You mumble from the floor.

"Why?"

"I want to go to that new place in Astoria." The room is quiet so you sit up on your knees and see Rachel shaking her head. "What?"

"Baby, your birthday is on Tuesday."

"So?" You huff.

"We're going out then, and you won't need to say you're twenty five."

"That ID is ridiculous by the way, Santana. Who does a thumbs up in their picture?" Rachel shakes her head again as she pours the batter into the glass dish.

"Your face is ridiculous." You snap.

"Really?" Dani shakes her head at you and your obvious frustration. "Why don't you sit down, maybe stressing out over finding it is not helping."

"Fine." You sink onto the sofa and watch as Dani takes off her jacket and sits down next to you.

"Do you really need to go out two days before it's actually legal for you to go out?" Dani squeezes your thigh, she knows you're in a bad mood.

"Stop whining and being a baby before I get you a bottle." Rachel throws over her shoulder as she starts mixing another batch of brownie mix.

"Stop trying to be funny Rachel, it only works when you're on stage and it's scripted for you."

"Santana." Dani looks at you, and you know you've sort of crossed a line. Dani has this way of making you nicer, and sometimes you hate it.

"What?"

"Stop being a bitch just because you can't find your sorry excuse of a fake ID."

You huff and cross your arms over your chest before grabbing for the TV remote and flipping through channels as angrily as you can.

"Is the baby being a baby?" Kurt steps out from behind his curtain and makes his way to the fridge.

"Not now Kurt." You grit.

"Aww, baby is grumpy." He coos. Ever since Rachel turned twenty one two months ago they haven't let you forget that you're the youngest. And you hate it.

You've been babied your whole life, not that they know why. Dani knows, you had a long conversation about how you were born three months early. Your parents had tried for years to get pregnant and couldn't, they had pretty much given up hope of having their own child when your mom found out she was pregnant with you. Everything was going fine until she woke up to cramps in the middle of the night and was rushed to the hospital.

You spent two months in the NICU, your parents waiting anxiously for you to be strong enough to come home. Your whole life, people have marveled at how you're alive and done their best to keep you safe. When your mom handed you enough money to move to New York, you thought it was a trick. You hate being treated like a baby, because for so much of your life you weren't allowed to do things. But of course Rachel and Kurt don't know that.

"Santana, it's only two days." Dani whispers as she pulls the remote from your grip.

"But everyone at the office is talking about it, and I just want to go." You know you're whining, but you can't help it. Everyone around you is able to go to these places with ease. The people at the office actually won't let you go out because they know you're underage. Stupid responsible people.

"And you can go after you're twenty one. Which is in two days."

"But –"

"How about I open a bottle of wine, you find something on netlifx, and we'll cuddle and at some point forget to watch the movie?" Dani suggests, even though she's already walking to the kitchen to grab a bottle and wine glasses.

"Shouldn't you put that in a baby bottle?" Rachel tries again to be funny.

"Leave her alone Rachel." Dani sighs, you can hear that she really doesn't want the two of you to start yelling.

"So I shouldn't tell her that her ridiculous ID is in the freezer?" Rachel smiles like she's succeeded at something.

"Just for that, I'm hiding the earplugs." You get up and walk to the bathroom where you know the box is.

You hear more than see Rachel and Kurt gape/gasp as you walk with your head held high. You also hear Dani as she walks towards your room, "I told you to leave her alone."

* * *

_A/N 2: Sorry this one is so short. I only know how to make fun of kids who are way younger than me. Like my intern last summer who didn't know who Fleetwood Mac are._


	18. He Wanted To Say

_A/N: Prompt from Tasteless Rain: Dani's parents. (I'm going with Dani's last name is Harper, since that's a popular rumor.) Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! Still taking prompts!_

* * *

You're sitting in your office staring at your photo in _Vanity Fair_, well you and Dani. She's featured as an up and coming artist in the newest issue and you couldn't be more proud. When the interviewer found out who you were, they decided to make part of the article about the two of you being a young, lesbian, New York power couple. The title made the two of you laugh, but you've already gotten five calls from new producers this morning.

You smile as you catch the glint of your engagement ring as you turn the page to see Dani smiling as she plays her guitar. God you love her. When your phone rings, you sigh. You thought you'd have more than five minutes to sit back and read the rest of the article, again.

"Santana Lopez." You answer. There's a pause on the other end, but you can hear that someone is there, "Hello?"

"Hi, are you the same Santana Lopez that's in the article?" The man on the other end asks.

"Yes I am, how can I help you?" You have your pen ready to take any notes, most of these phone calls have ended with meetings scheduled for the future.

"You know Danielle, Danielle Harper?"

"Yes. Sir, can –"

"She's happy?" This is the strangest phone call you've ever received, and that includes Rachel's drunk calls from cabs.

"Sir?"

"I just need to know if she's happy." His voice is strained as he rushes the words out.

"She is. She's happy. Who is this?" You stutter, a little frightened by the phone call.

"I'm her father." The line goes dead.

You sit in your office for a few minutes before getting up and putting your jacket on. You walk out of your office and to the secretary, "Jess, I'm taking the rest of the day off. Take messages, but if a Mr. Harper calls I want you get his number and send it to me."

"Okay. Are you alright Santana? You look a little pale." She looks concerned as you adjust your purse on your shoulder.

"Yeah, I just need to go. Uh, something, something came up."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow."

You make your way to the street and hail a cab to take you to Dani's studio. Why would Dani's father call you? The two of you have talked about her family in the past. How they were incredibly strict when she was growing up, there was no room for failure. She always had perfect grades, was enrolled in the right activities. Piano, bible study, guitar, fencing, dance, volunteering to tutor other kids. It left her with no social life and pushed her to the outskirts of all the social groups. And then she met Elizabeth, who befriended her and showed her how to fall in love.

Dani only told you once what happened. How she and Elizabeth were wrapped around each other on the sofa in the basement when her parents came downstairs. How they had both frozen in fear, and then Dani's mom started screaming in Spanish while Elizabeth grabbed her things and ran out. Dani doesn't really remember everything her mom yelled, but she remembered phrases like; _Get out. Not my daughter, sin, shame, disappointment. _Her dad had just stood there and watched as Dani ran up to her room, stuffed whatever she could into her bag, grabbed her guitar and ran out.

She stayed with Elizabeth for two days, hoping they would come find her. Two days later she was paying for a one-way bus ticket to New York. You remember crying when she told you the story; _It's okay Santana. I would go through it all again if it meant getting to be with you._

The studio is quiet when you get there, they must be on a break. You see Dani sitting in the recording booth, making notes on her sheet music. When you tap on the glass, she looks up and smiles until she sees how strained your face is.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asks you as she steps out of the booth. She runs her hands down your arms before taking your hands and leading you to the chairs where the band sits.

"I got a phone call today about the article." She nods, ready to let you finish what you need to tell her. "It was your dad. I think it was, he said he was."

"What – what did he want?" She stutters.

"He kept asking me if you were happy, and then he hung up after he said who he was."

"Oh." She nods a few times, squeezing your hand as she does so. "Did he, did he leave a number or anything?"

"No. But I told Jess to get it if he calls again today."

"Okay. Can we, can we go home?" She whispers.

"Of course baby. I took the rest of the day off. Want me to go tell Marcus?" She nods and you kiss her forehead before leaving her to find her producer. "Hey, Marcus?"

"Oh hey Santana." He smiles when he sees you.

"Dani's not feeling too great, I'm going to take her home." You don't leave any room for argument, and he knows it.

"She okay?"

"Yeah, I just want to take her home."

"Alright, we're at a good stopping point anyway. Call me if she needs anything."

'Thanks." When you get back to the booth, Dani has her bag and has her arms wrapped around her body. "Let's go home baby."

When the two of you get home, she sinks onto the sofa. As soon as your bag is down, you sit next to her and pull her body into yours. "Why do you think he called? After all this time?"

"I don't know." You kiss her forehead and feel her body relax a little more. The two of you sit together until you hear your phone buzz with an email. After you read it, you show it to Dani. _Mr. Harper called again, his number is attached._

"What do I do?" Dani asks, her hands shaking as she hands you back your phone.

"What do you want to do? I can call him if you want." You run your hand through her hair a few times, scratching lightly at her scalp to help her relax.

She nods a few times, "Yeah, call him and find out what he wants. But, but don't tell him I'm here. And can you put it on speaker?"

"Yeah." You kiss her forehead again before dialing. It only rings twice before you hear him answer, "Mr. Harper? This is Santana Lopez."

"Hi, thank you for calling me back." Dani grips your hand.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'd like to talk to you about Danielle, if that's alright with you."

"Uh, sure." You look at Dani and see that her eyes are wide as she stares at the phone.

"I'd like to see her. I'm in New York on a business trip for a few days. Do you think she'd want to see me?"

You look at Dani and she shrugs, "I don't really know, Mr. Harper."

"Please. I really want to see her. We can meet anywhere she wants. I'm here until Sunday."

"I'll talk to her and get back to you. That's the best I can do."

"Thank you, Ms. Lopez." And then he hangs up.

Dani stares at your phone on the coffee table. She hasn't heard his voice since she was seventeen.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do." You whisper and cup her cheek to bring her focus to you. "Okay?"

"I – I, I think I want to see him." She whispers as a tear falls down her cheek. "Will you come with me?"

"Of course. I wasn't going to let you go alone no matter what." You kiss her gently and feel her melt into you. "What do you want to do?"

She pulls away from you and wipes at her eyes, "Call him back, he can meet us for dinner at that bistro place by the subway."

"Okay."

"I'm going to go take a shower." She stands and makes her way to the bathroom while you call her father back.

A few hours later, Dani is gripping your hand as you walk into the small bistro. Dani recognizes her father as he stands from his chair and grips his hands together in front of him. "Danielle," he whispers, almost like he can't believe she's there. "Thank you, for coming." He motions for the two of you to sit. There's an awkward silence while he watches the two of you. "You must be Santana."

"I am." You take in his appearance. He looks tired, older than he probably is. You also see so much of him in Dani. She has his eyes and they share the same dimple in their chins.

"Why are you here?" Dani cuts through the silence that falls on the table again.

"I saw your picture in the magazine while colleagues of mine were bragging about their kids. How they're graduating from grad school or getting married and having children. I saw your picture and realized that I had missed out on so much. I couldn't brag about you because I didn't know anything about you."

"So you waited seven years to find me?" She snaps.

"Your mother made it very clear that you were no longer a part of our family." He has the decency to look ashamed as he says it.

Dani laughs, only its bitter and full of hurt, "So you just erased me?"

"I tried to follow her. Danielle, it was a shock to see you – like that. As a parent, you want the best for your child. And it was like you were throwing everything back in our faces."

Dani shakes her head, "I was figuring out who I was, and you and mom made me feel so dirty for it."

"I will regret that day for the rest of my life. I should have run after you. I should have come looking for you sooner." You look up at him and see that he has tears in his eyes.

"Why now? Really, why now?" Dani sighs.

"I divorced your mother five years ago." He runs a hand through his salt and pepper hair before looking at Dani again. "I remarried two years ago, she's the one who showed me the article. Told me that I could still be proud of you, but that I would always regret not finding out if you were happy."

Dani grips your hand as she lets the information wash over her. It's a lot to take in, you know that. "I am." She whispers, "I am happy. Santana makes me happy."

"I want to be a part of your life. If you'll let me. I want to know what makes you happy. We can take it as slow as you want, I just want to be a part of your life again." He's almost begging, and you can see how much he wants this.

"We can take it slow?"

"As slow as you need." He nods.

There's a silence that falls over the table again, this time interrupted by the waiter. Once the three of you have placed your orders, Dani smiles a little. "We're getting married in a few months."

"Really?" He smiles and you nod when he looks at you.

"Maybe, maybe you could come." Dani looks at you and you smile as you give her a small nod and squeeze her hand.

"I would be honored." He smiles again, and you watch his body relax.

The rest of dinner goes smoothly. He asks both of you about work, beaming when Dani tells him about her album that's coming out. She promises to send him a copy as soon as she can. The two of you listen as he talks about his new wife, Sarah, and her two sons.

When Dani excuses herself to use the bathroom, he looks at you. "Thank you, for taking care of her."

"I love her. We take care of each other." You shrug, because it isn't a big deal to you that you take care of her. You feel at times like you were made for it.

"You've been able to care for her and love her when I wasn't there to do it. You make her happy. And one day, you'll understand how important it is for someone to make your child happy."

"I'd do anything for her. So please, please don't break her heart again." He hears the underlying threat and nods.

"I won't ruin this again. I promise you."

"Okay." You nod as Dani sits back down.

The three of you finish dinner with promises to meet again before Sunday. You watch as Dani hugs her father, his arms wrapping around her like she's made of glass. "I love you, please don't ever forget that." Dani tenses a little, "You don't have to say anything back. I know I have to earn it, but I just wanted you to hear it. Because I love you so much and I am so proud of the woman you've become."

He kisses her head again before making his way to the street to hail a cab. Dani walks back to you and wraps her arms around your waist. You don't say anything as you hold her close and feel her breathe against you.

"Let's go home." She nods against your chest as you start walking towards your apartment.


	19. Girl's Best Friend

_Prompt from silent12reader__: __Santana wants a puppy, Dani says no, Santana does what she wants. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows. Still taking prompts!__  
_

* * *

"Santana, we can't." Dani sighs as you pet the pit bull puppy.

"Why not, he's so cute. Look at this face." You scratch behind the puppy's ear and watch him close his eyes.

"There are so many reasons." Dani's standing behind you, not coming near the pen of puppies.

"Name one." You challenge.

"We don't have time, we can't afford it, I don't know if the landlord will let us, and I'm allergic." She ticks off each point on her hand as you watch.

"But, but he's so cute." You try again.

"Don't pout Santana. We can't."

"Fine. By buddy." You scratch his ears again and take Dani's hand, throwing one more look behind you.

You go back the next day and sign the adoption papers. You buy some bowls and puppy chow on your way to the loft. "You are going to be my little secret for a while. And you're going to live with two crazies, and for that I'm sorry."

Kurt opens the loft door after you knock and smiles when he sees the puppy, "And who's this?"

"This is Max. He needs to live with you guys for a while."

"What now?" Kurt asks as you walk into the kitchen to open the bag of food.

"I sort of fell in love with him yesterday, but Dani wouldn't let me get him."

"Are you listening to yourself, because I am."

"What?" You stand after pouring food into the bowl.

"Your girlfriend, who you live with said you couldn't get a dog. So you got the dog anyway."

"Now that you say it, it does sound pretty bad."

"Santana! What the hell are you going to do with a dog? Do you even know how to take care of a dog?" Max looks up from his bowl and watches the two of you before going back to eating.

"Yes. We had a German Shepherd when I was growing up."

"Did you take care of it?"

"Yes! I know how to take care of a dog. I just need time to convince Dani."

"Fine. You're an idiot. But fine." He shakes his head. "But you need to come take care of him. You can't unload him and not pay child support."

"Are you listening to _yourself_ right now?" You sit on the floor and watch as Max walks over to you and starts licking your face.

"He is really cute." Kurt sits next to you and scratches his back, laughing when his tail starts wagging.

"Right? How can Dani not love this face?"

"Did she say why you couldn't get him?"

"Uh."

"Santana?"

"One of the reasons may be because she said she's allergic." Kurt sighs, "Just give me a few days to talk her into it."

Three weeks later and Dani still won't budge. But you can tell she's getting suspicious because you keep coming home late or going out at strange hours. It's a good thing that Rachel and Kurt have fallen in love with Max, and he seems to like living with them. But you really want to bring him home and have him snuggle with you and Dani on the sofa.

"Where are you going?" Dani asks from the table where she's writing new music.

"Uh, out?" You need to pick up more dog food.

"What's going on, Santana?" She sighs.

"What?"

"If you don't want to be with me, just tell me." She won't look at you.

"What?"

"I know what this looks like, I'm not stupid Santana."

"You think I'm cheating on you?"

"Well –"

"Baby, I'm not cheating on you. I would never." You stroke her hair back and kiss her forehead.

"Then where the hell are you going all the time?"

"You have to promise to not be mad."

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." She shakes her head.

You sigh, "Put your shoes on and come with me."

Dani puts her shoes on and follows you to the subway and then into Brooklyn. When you open the loft door, Max comes running to you. "Santana." Dani sighs and moves to stand behind you.

"I know. But he was so cute and I couldn't help myself. He's really sweet."

"Santana." She flinches when Max moves around you to sniff at her legs.

"Are, are you scared of him?"

"Maybe." She moves away again, and you scoop Max up to keep him away from her.

"Why?" You watch Dani move to the living room and sit on the sofa.

"You know that scar on my leg?"

"Yeah?" You put Max down before sitting next to her.

"I got bit by a dog when I was a kid. I was playing in the front yard, and this house a few streets over was raising pit bulls for fighting. Well, one got out and was roaming the neighborhood."

"And he bit you." Now you know why she wouldn't go near the dogs at the booth.

"Yeah. I've been afraid of them since." She looks down and at Max, who's cocked his head to the side.

"Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I was embarrassed? I don't know."

"So you're not allergic?"

"No."

"Look, he's really sweet. And people give pits a bad rep because they can be super aggressive if you raise them that way. But Max is a teddy bear."

"Really?"

"Really. He loves to cuddle and loves kisses. He looks like a badass, but he's super soft."

"So he's you." She laughs.

"Hey, I am a badass."

"Yeah, sure."

"So can we keep him?" You try, and give her your best pout.

She sighs and looks between you and Max, "Fine. But if he bites me, you have to find him a new home."

"Deal." You press a quick kiss to Dani's lips before pulling Max onto the sofa, "Did you hear that buddy? You get to come home with us. And this, is Dani. You have to listen to her."

"Hi Max." Dani tentatively pets Max's head and smiles when he pushes his head further into her hand. "Okay, he's really cute."

Later that night while you watch SNL with Dani curled into your side and Max at your feet, you smile at your little family.


	20. The Road You Didn't Take

_A/N: Prompt came from Ao3: Dani meets Brittany for the first time. (Perspective change) I also want to say that I don't hate Brittany, you can see that if you look at everything else I've written. But I ship Santana with being happy. Thanks again for the favs/follows/reviews. I'm still taking prompts!_

* * *

When Santana tells you that Brittany called, you're not sure how you feel. You've been together for almost a year, you know she loves you, but something about meeting her first love is terrifying.

"She's here for some school thing and wants to hang out over the weekend." Santana explains.

"Okay." You nod, so many awful scenarios running through your head.

"I want you meet her." Santana takes your hand and squeezes.

"What?" You may have zoned out.

"You're important, and so is she. She was my best friend first and she still is. So I want you to meet her."

"Okay." You know you sound nervous, which is probably why Santana cups your cheek and kisses you. "I love you." You whisper against her lips.

"I love you too."

"She really didn't tell you she was coming until this morning?" You don't understand why someone so important would wait until the last minute to announce her arrival.

Santana shrugs, "She can be spontaneous. But I think she was nervous."

"Nervous? Why?" From the stories you've heard, she sounds pretty fearless.

"She knows about you. And you're the only other real girlfriend I've had." Santana tucks some of your hair behind your ear before kissing the corner of your mouth.

"Okay." You don't really know how to respond to that, but you trust Santana. "So what are we doing?"

"Kurt and Rachel are putting a picnic together for all of us in the park. She really wanted to be in Central Park for a few hours."

"That sounds nice."

And it is, it's a beautiful late summer day as you, Santana, Kurt, and Rachel make your way through Central Park to find Brittany. And you could not be more terrified. You've heard so much about her; how she and Santana used to get into trouble, how they ran the school, how they fell in love and broke each other's hearts. Santana's told you that she loves you, but there's a not so small part of you that is afraid of what will happen when they see each other for the first time in so long. First loves never really go away.

"There she is." Kurt announces as he sees Brittany walking towards your little group. Santana squeezes your hand and smiles, she's reassuring you.

"Hey guys." She's taller than you were expecting.

There's a collective "Hey Britt," before Santana lets go of your hand to hug Brittany.

"Hi B." You hear Santana mumble into Brittany's shoulder.

"Hi, Santana." You watch as Brittany wraps her arms around Santana in a way that is all too familiar.

When Santana pulls away, you see Brittany frown before putting on a smile. Santana takes your hand, "This is Dani."

"Hi, it's nice to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you." You put your hand out and Brittany shakes it lightly.

"Hi." She lets go of your hand quickly, almost like you've burned her.

There's an awkward silence until Rachel starts leading your little group to the grass, "How was your seminar thing?"

"It was great. I've got a lot ideas on where to start for my thesis now." She nods, and you can see the proud smile on Santana's face. Brittany explains more about her seminar and the classes she's taking back at MIT. You sit and watch Santana watch her while you eat.

You notice that she mostly talks to Santana. But every time she tries to brush their hands together, Santana shifts a little closer to you. You're not sure if she even realizes she's doing it, but you keep catching the small flashes of hurt that Brittany hides so well.

"What are you doing tonight?" Kurt cuts into the conversation.

"Uh, nothing?" Brittany shrugs.

"Why don't you come over to our place? We've got some bottles of wine stashed there. And we can keep catching up." Kurt suggests.

"That's a great idea!" Rachel loves showing off the loft.

"Dani?" Santana looks at you and squeezes your hand.

"Yeah, that sounds cool." You shrug. You and Santana were going to spend the night curled up anyway.

The five of you head to the subway while Rachel fills Brittany in on how her life has been going since _Funny Girl_ opened. You don't miss the subtle glances that Brittany sends your way whenever Santana brushes your hair back or kisses you.

When you get to the loft, Santana gives Brittany a tour while you help Kurt in the kitchen.

"You're taking this really well." He whispers as he hands you the bottle opener.

"I was really nervous." You shrug as you twist the corkscrew into the bottle.

"And now?"

"I trust Santana. And I love her. That's all that matters." You pull the cork out and start pouring into the glasses that Kurt has set out.

"I don't know if Britt is taking it so well." Kurt whispers even quieter as he takes two glasses from the counter.

"I sort of picked up on that. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable, she's been a part of Santana's life for a long time and I'm not about to forbid things just because she was her first love."

"That's, really big of you. I don't know if I could do that."

You shrug, "I love her." It's that simple. You can see a future with Santana. One that involves your own place, rings and little feet.

You help Kurt carry the wine into the living room while Rachel find more things to snack on.

"This place is really cool. It suits you." Brittany says and smiles as she sits down.

"We only have red, I hope you're okay with that." You hand Brittany a glass and sit down next to Santana, where she pulls you into her side.

"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks." Brittany watches you settle in next to Santana, "What is it you do, Dani?" There's some bite behind her question.

"I work at the diner with Santana and Kurt, that's where we met."

"She also plays the guitar like a badass and the piano. And she writes her own music."

"Santana." You whine, because she always brags about you.

"What? You're amazing." She kisses the side of your head, "She's amazing and super talented."

"That's cool." Brittany deflates a little when she hears Santana brag about you.

"She really is great," Kurt chimes in. "She plays for our band. I don't know what we'd do without her."

The five of you sit in the living room until Rachel has to go to the theatre, she laughs as she leaves the four of you to keep drinking. "Save me something. It's not fair when I have to go to work."

"You took the matinee off Berry, it's only one show." Santana waves her off and you laugh as Rachel tries to argue but can't.

"Have a good show Rachel," you call from your place in Santana's lap.

"Thank you, Dani. See, someone has manners." Rachel calls as she slides the door closed.

"We should order pizza." Santana announces. Everyone nods.

"I'll go get my phone." You stand and walk to Santana's room to pick up your phone. Kurt stands to go get another bottle of wine. That's when you hear Santana quietly talking to Brittany.

"What is going on with you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Brittany sounds defensive.

"Dani's been nothing but nice to you, and you keep blowing her off. She was terrified to meet you."

"I don't like her." You sit on the bed and listen, even though you shouldn't.

Santana sighs, "Why?"

"She just, she doesn't fit. She doesn't fit you." You think she might be crying. This is what you were afraid of.

"Brittany, you told me to move on with my life. So I did. I moved here, and I got a job."

"But you moved on from me. I just thought –"

"You thought I was going to wait around for you? Britt, I love you. I do, but I'm _in love_ with her. And that's not going to change. You told me to move on, so I did."

There's a long silence, and you're afraid to move.

"Are you, does she make you happy?"

"Yeah Britt, she does. She makes me very happy."

"Okay." Brittany sighs.

"Okay?"

"I'm sorry for being a bitch to your girlfriend." She sighs and you can hear Santana sigh as well.

"She's really wonderful Britt."

"Maybe next time, okay?"

"Okay."

There's silence in the apartment while you finish placing the order. You wait another minute before stepping into the living room. Kurt sees you from the kitchen and brings another bottle of wine with him.

"Should be about thirty minutes. I just got our regular order."

"Thanks baby." Santana kisses your head and you know she knows you heard everything.

Brittany smiles at you a little more and doesn't look as pained when Santana holds you close as you talk about meeting Santana for the first time at the diner.

By the time Rachel comes back, the four of you are pretty drunk and trying to balance spoons on your noses. "What are you doing?"

"I'm winning!" You shout, a little louder than you expected.

"You're cheating! You can't tip your head back that far." Brittany points at you and as soon as you sit up, the spoon falls from your face.

"Damn." You start laughing, which makes Santana start laughing and drop her spoon.

"You all need to go to sleep." Rachel states.

"What? No!" Santana declares before she falls over.

"Babe, maybe we should go to sleep."

Santana yawns, "Fine."

Brittany watches the two of you stand, "I'm going to go find a cab."

"Don't be ridiculous. You're staying here." Rachel tells her as she pulls out an extra pillow and blanket and dumps them on the sofa.

"I don't want to be in the way."

"Britt, stay. It's super late and we can go get brunch in the morning." Santana says as you help steady her.

"Okay."

You follow Santana to her room where the two of you change, "I'm going to go brush my teeth." You kiss Santana's nose while she pulls her jeans down. You're in the middle of brushing your teeth when Brittany steps into the small bathroom and scares you, "Jesus. Brittany, I'll be done in a minute."

"I want to talk to you." Her eyes are surprisingly clear for someone who's had as much wine as she has.

"Now?" She nods, "It can't wait?"

"No. It's important. Santana means a lot to me. I love her, I will always love her. And if you hurt her, I will hurt you. Are we clear?" You nod your head, toothbrush still in your mouth. "She loves you, I can see it. Just, take care of her. Okay?"

"Okay." And then she steps out of the bathroom and closes the door. Santana steps into the bathroom as soon as you step out, and you can feel Brittany watching you as you make your way to Santana's bed.

When she comes back, Santana slides into bed next to you and wraps her arms around you. "Thank you for meeting her. You're both really important to me."

"Of course. She's really nice, and she cares about you a lot." You pull her arms around you a little tighter and settle into the cradle of her hips.

"Did she threaten you?" Santana sounds a little worried, so you turn your head to kiss her.

"Maybe a little."


	21. In Sickness and in Health

_Prompt from forevercouldwedream: Dani looking after Santana when she's sick. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! Still taking and filling prompts!_

* * *

You're freezing. That's the first thing that comes to mind. Well, you're freezing and you can't breathe through your nose. You groan and pull the covers up a little higher and curl into the warmth that Dani provides.

"Santana?" You feel Dani's hands push your hair back and kiss your forehead. "Baby, you're burning up."

"I feel like shit." You moan into her as she pulls your body close.

"I got you sick. I told you I could sleep on the sofa."

"You gave me the plague." You start coughing and roll over to cough into your own pillow. You feel her hand on your back, trying to sooth you as you cough.

You feel Dani get up from the bed while you cough. When she returns she sits next to you and pushes your damp hair away from your face. "Here," she holds the thermometer in front of your mouth and waits for you to open it. She strokes your hair and face while she waits for the thermometer to beep. Your eyes feel heavy and her hands are cool. "You have a really high fever." She sounds worried.

"What are you doing?" Your voice is raspy because of your coughing fit.

"Calling your dad."

"Why?"

"You have a 104 degree fever," she sits next to you again. "Hi, Mr. Lopez? It's Dani. Yeah, I'm okay. Santana has a really high fever and I didn't know if I should take her to the hospital." There's a pause and you can hear her humming. "It's 104. And she's coughing a lot. Okay, thanks. Yeah, I'll call you in a few hours."

Dani disappears again and returns a few minutes later with a cup full of medicine. "No." You whine.

"I know it's gross, but it'll make you better. Now open up." You sit up enough for Dani to tip the cup of sticky liquid medicine into your mouth. "Here," she hands you a bottle of water and helps you lie back down.

You wake up again a few hours later to Dani pulling the thermometer out of your mouth again. When you open your eyes you see that she's frowning, "What?"

"Your fever hasn't gone down." She runs her hands down your face again and you lean into her touch as much as your body will allow. "Come on." She pulls the covers away and pulls you to sit up.

"What are you doing?" She looks concerned as you sway on your feet. Your shirt feels damp against your skin.

"Putting you in a bath." She guides you to the small bathroom and sits you on the toilet seat while she fills the tub. A few minutes later you feel her tugging at your clothes. Everything feels hazy as she pulls you up and helps you step into the tub. "There we go."

You start coughing again and feel Dani's hands on your back, trying to steady you. "I'm going to call your dad again."

"Don't – don't go." You reach for her hand, but your arm feels too heavy.

"Okay, I'll wait." She picks up a washcloth and runs it over your overheated skin. After sitting in the tub for fifteen minutes, Dani helps you stand and wraps you in a towel. "Let's put you in some clean clothes." Dani leads you to sit on the bed while she pulls out fresh clothes for you. "I ordered some soup while you were sleeping." The way she says it leaves no room for turning it down.

"Okay." She leads you to the sofa, and you're too tired to ask her to stop babying you so much. But you know that she's worried. She's never seen you this sick. Sometimes you get hit really hard with whatever is going around. And Dani had the flu last week, so of course she gave it to you despite your flu shot and ridiculous amounts of vitamin c.

You hear Dani move around the kitchen as she heats the soup for you. When she sits down next to you with the bowl she sees that you're shivering. Dani pulls the blanket on the back of the sofa around your shoulders and starts spoon feeding you soup. "I can feed myself."

"You can't lift your arms and you're shivering. I don't want to wash soup out of everything. Shut up and let me take care of you."

"Okay." You open your mouth to let her give you another spoonful.

"I'm sorry I got you sick."

"S'okay. Just don't go anywhere, okay?" Dani puts the bowl down and pulls your body into her.

"I'm not going anywhere baby." Dani strokes your hair until you fall asleep.

The next time you wake up, Dani is gripping your hand as you feel a sharp pinch in the crook of your elbow. You open your eyes to find that you're not at home, the lights are brighter, the sheets scratchy, and everything is much louder.

"What happened?" Dani turns to face you as soon as she hears you.

"Your fever spiked to 108. And you wouldn't wake up, so I called 911."

"Oh. When can I go home?" Dani laughs and you notice that she's crying. "Why are you crying?" You think you know the answer, but everything is really fuzzy.

"You wouldn't wake up. I got scared." She strokes your face, her fingers lingering along your jawline.

"I'm okay. I'm here." Your voice is raspy and all of a sudden you're really thirsty as a coughing fit hits you.

A nurse comes by and pours water into a cup, "Here," she says and helps you drink about half the cup. "How are you feeling Ms. Lopez?"

"Like I got run over by a truck that was on fire."

"Well, once this IV is done, we'll see what your temperature is at, and maybe you can go home."

"Thank you." Dani says as you lie back on the bed. "You should sleep."

"I don't want you to be by yourself." You say, even as you feel your eyelids drop. Her hand is soothing as she strokes your face.

"I like watching you sleep." She whispers.

"Creeper." She laughs again and you feel her lips brush your temple.

When you dream, it's of you and Dani dancing in your living room to a strange rhythm that matches your heart. This time you wake up to the IV being pulled out and the heart monitor being turned off.

"Ah, she's awake." You see a young doctor standing at the foot of your bed with a chart in his hands. "You have walking pneumonia. I'm prescribing you some strong antibiotics and some cough syrup with codeine to help with the cough. It'll also knock you out, so only take that when you're home."

"She's not going anywhere." Dani assures him.

Now he talks to Dani, "Keep an eye on her fever. If it spikes again, bring her here immediately. You were smart to bring her here."

"Thank you, for everything." Dani helps you sit up and wraps the blanket around you. "Let's go fill these and put you back in bed."

"Okay." You shuffle towards her and let her guide you through the maze of the hospital.

When the two of you get home, she guides you to the bed and brings you your first dose of medicine.

"This is gross."

"It'll make you feel better. She kisses your head before taking your empty glass to the kitchen to refill it.

"Dani?" You croak from under the covers when she doesn't return.

"Yeah baby?" You feel the bed dip on her side and turn to bury your face in her side.

"Don't go."

"I'm right here." She strokes your hair and you don't think she minds you being clingy while you're sick.


	22. Putting it Together

_A/N: Prompt from __CopaceticDreamer__: Santana and Kurt trying to surprise Dani by painting the nursery, but she catches them in the middle of a paint war. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows. I'm still taking prompts!_

* * *

Dani rolls over to face you in the morning light and your hand immediately moves to rest on her belly. "Morning." She whispers against your lips.

"Morning." You mumble as your thumbs rubs circles into her side, the baby nudging against your palm. You move your body lower and push Dani's shirt up to reveal her ever growing stomach. "Good morning little man." You whisper into her skin before kissing where you felt him nudge.

Dani pushes your hair away from your face and smiles as you whisper to the baby. "What's the plan today before Rachel takes me shopping?"

"How about some breakfast?" You suggest as you pull Dani's shirt back down and kiss her gently.

"Mmm. Can we have pancakes?"

You chuckle, "Sure baby." You help Dani out of bed and pull her body into yours, feeling her belly push into yours. "Hi." You whisper again.

"Hi." She runs her hands down your back and kisses the hollow of your throat before pulling away and walking to the kitchen.

Dani starts making you coffee while you pull out the ingredients to make pancakes. She takes a small sip before handing it to you, "I really miss coffee."

"Well, in a few months we'll have out little guy and then you can have coffee."

"I can't wait to meet him." She stands behind you where you can feel her belly press into the small of your back.

You smile as you flip pancakes, feeling Dani's hands resting on your hips and the way her new shape presses into you. You can't wait to meet him either. You've been so excited/terrified since you came home and Dani told you she was pregnant. It had taken so long for it to take; you were starting to wonder if something was wrong. But now with her seven month belly against you, you can't wait two more months. Actually you can, he has two more months of growing to go.

The two of you eat breakfast in content silence, Dani has sheet music in front of her while you read the newspaper. You brush your foot along Dani's calf and she smiles and takes your right hand with her left while the two of you eat. Dani's helping an up and coming pop star with new songs, she's taking a producer's seat while she's pregnant. You know she misses performing though.

"Where's Rachel taking you?"

"I don't know." You do know, she's keeping Dani out of the apartment while you and Kurt decorate the nursery. "Are you sure you can't come?"

"I wish I could baby," you lie, "but I have so much paperwork to do. I don't want to fall behind on anything before the baby is born."

"I know." She sighs.

"Well, when you get back we can spend a the night with our DVR and whatever ice cream you want."

She smiles and you know you said the right thing, "I love you."

"I love you too."

When Dani finishes eating, you take her plate and watch her make her way to the bathroom to shower. You would join her, but you have a date with a few buckets of paint. And then you remember that your incredibly beautiful wife is going to be naked in the shower. She's standing under the water when you step in behind her.

She chuckles, "I was wondering how long it would take you."

"I tripped getting my pants off." She laughs again as she reaches for your hands and brings them to rest on her belly. You love standing like this with her, feeling the new shape of her body under the warm water. You can't get enough of her. But you know that Rachel will be over soon to take her out for a day of distraction. So you shower quickly and help her get dressed, even though she's perfectly capable of doing it herself. "I'm just taking care of my family."

"I know. And I love you for it." She kisses you and runs her fingers through your damp hair, and then the buzzer goes off. "And that will be Rachel. I'll see you in a few hours baby."

"Okay, have fun. Love you." You give her a quick kiss before pulling your hair into a loose bun. When you know they've gone, you open up the nursery and start putting down the plastic tarps. Ten minutes later, Kurt knocks on the door. "Hey, thanks for helping me with this."

"Of course. Now where're the supplies?" The two of you step into the room and start mixing the paint. You and Dani had discussed colors and decided to go with green. You had dragged Kurt to the closest Home Depot and picked out all of the paints and figured out what to do. You did some work on your own, putting up the primer and a brown chair rail while Dani was at work. All you and Kurt have to do is finish the two tone green that will cover the walls. All of the furniture is in your office, put together and ready to be moved in.

Three hours later, and the two of you are almost done. There's one wall left to go, with Kurt taking the top half while you work on edging around the baseboards. "Do you think she'll like it?" You ask.

"I think she'll love it. It's so calming in here."

"I can't wait to be in here with him. Or watch her with him." You're lost in thought until you feel a wet stripe across your nose. "What the fuck?"

Kurt is laughing, "It just needed to be done. It's not your color."

"I'm going to kill you."

"You really want to commit murder in the place that your son is going to sleep?" He adds another brush stroke to your arm.

"That's it." You dip your brush into the nearest can and lunge, swiping right across his chest.

"If you kill me, I will haunt this room." He laughs, and you smile as you dip your brush again.

You must have been fighting for longer than you thought because you're both covered in paint. Both of you laughing as you sing loudly and try to avoid each other brushes. "Your ass is mine Lopez. All that's left is your pretty pretty hair, and I'm going to get it."

"Don't you dare." You've managed to avoid getting paint in your hair, even though Kurt has not escaped the same fate.

"You're still going to be washing green paint by the time the baby is born."

"I really hope that's not the case." You both stop and see Dani standing in the doorway, one hand resting on her belly.

"Uh, hey baby." You hide the paintbrush behind your back, even though you're covered in paint.

"Hi. Hey Kurt." She smiles.

"Hi Dani. You look lovely." Kurt hides his paintbrush too and looks like the little boy you met in third grade. You hope your son will be as kind as he was, is.

"What are you guys up to?" She strokes over her belly again and presses her palm where you know she's feeling him nudge.

"Uh, nothing?" You respond and drop the paintbrush onto the tarp.

"Yeah. Well, I'm going to go start dinner while you clean up."

"Yes Dani." You watch her leave as she shakes her head and mumbles something about not being able to leave you alone.

"You are so whipped." Kurt chuckles as he wraps his paintbrush in some paper.

"Shut up." You take a step back and look at the cool green walls. "It looks good, considering we're wearing half of it."

"It does look good." And then he wipes his wet hand on the top of your head.

"You're going to haunt this room forever."

"No I'm not. Because I'm going to help you clean up and move all that furniture in while Rachel distracts your wife in the kitchen."

"Fine, but you're carrying the heavy stuff."

It takes you another hour to clean up and move everything in. You know Dani catches you moving things from time to time, but Rachel keeps her confined to the kitchen while you and Kurt work. You're really happy with the way it's turned out. The furniture looks good against the walls; you can't wait to watch Dani and the baby in the rocking chair. All that's left is the artwork that the two of you haven't decided on. But that's something for you and Dani to do in the coming weeks.

"Thank you Kurt." You lean into him and kiss his cheek.

"Of course mama."

Kurt and Rachel leave, with Rachel throwing a fit at how much green paint is all over Kurt's body. You laugh from the doorway until you see Dani watching you with a soft smile. "Come on." You take her hand and open the door to the nursery.

"Oh, Santana. It's perfect." She smiles as she takes everything in.

"You think he'll like it?"

"I think he already does." She takes your hands and presses them to her belly where you feel a few nudges.

"Well, he can enjoy it when he's done cooking." You smile and kiss her temple.

"You smell like paint. Go shower, you owe me a night of bad TV and ice cream." She smacks your ass as you walk away from her, but you step back and watch her sit in the rocking chair. You know you should leave, but you stay long enough to watch her start singing quietly as she holds her belly.

* * *

_A/N 2: So I probably won't be updating daily like I was, for several reasons; I got a rather large tattoo on my arm that makes typing a little (a lot) uncomfortable and I'm going on vacation next week to a place with super shitty internet (my parent's house). But I will keep writing, which means I'll get back and have a bunch of updates. But you guys are the best and I'm having so much fun filling these. If you are so inclined, follow me on tumblr, where I post none of my fics but a lot of other random things, username is Jellysnack._


	23. Wheels of a Dream

_Prompt from pico: The second fight that leads them to almost breaking up. (Perspective change) Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows! Still taking prompts!_

* * *

"So you see, we want to sign you. We think you're great, we love your music." The executive in front of you is waving his arms around as he talks.

"Thank you Mr. Smith, I –"

"Call me Andy, please." He takes a sip from the coffee cup on his desk and leans back.

"Andy, thank you. I can't tell you how excited I am." You can't stop smiling, you've been in so many disappointing meetings over the last few months that you'd started to lose hope. But Santana was always there to remind you that something would come up, _You're too amazing for someone to not notice._

"Well, we love your sound. You're the whole package; hot, talented, and marketable." The way he looks at you makes you readjust yourself in the large chair. But he's ready to offer you a contract.

"Thanks."

"Now, part of the image is making you available." He leans back and eyes you.

"I'm afraid I don't understand." You have a feeling you're not going to like this part.

"You're in a relationship, right?"

"Yes. I've been with my girlfriend, Santana, for two years." You smile.

"Yeah, that's not going to work." He shakes his head.

"What isn't?"

"You need to appear to be single, it makes you more desirable. Plus there's the whole gay thing."

"But most of my songs are about her, and you said you like my sound."

"Easily fixed. Change a few words around and it can be about a guy. Any guy."

"But –"

"Look, what I'm offering you, no one else is going to give you this good a deal." He leans forward on his desk. "I'll give you a few days to think about it, but Miss Harper, but you're not going to do better than this."

"Thanks." You shake his hand and think for a moment. This could be it. "I'll do it."

"Alright Dani, come by tomorrow afternoon and we'll have you sign the paperwork."

"Thank you." You shake his hand again, but you feel a little guilty while doing it.

When you get home you make a pot of coffee and wait for Santana to come home. She was working at her casting internship in the morning, and then working a shift at the diner. You sit and think about how you'll finally be making the music you've always dreamed of, but at what cost?

Santana comes home a few hours later, exhausted and dragging her feet. She's been working so much lately, trying to get her foot in the door at the casting agency while still pulling as many shifts at the diner as she can. She looks a little like a zombie, walking past you to strip out of her uniform and walk right into the bathroom. You hear the shower turn on, so you pour yourself another cup of coffee.

When Santana steps out of the bathroom in her robe she sighs, "Hey, when did you get home?" She's quiet, you haven't seen much of each other in the last few weeks.

"A few hours ago."

"You were here when I got home?" She walks over to the dresser and starts pulling out clean clothes. She's still really quiet, something feels off.

"Yeah, hey, can we talk?"

"Of course, just let me get dressed." You watch as she pulls a shirt on over her head, you think you see a flash of color on her side, but she turns around and walks to the table and sits down. "What's up?"

You smile and take her hand, "I got offered a contract today."

"What? Oh my god, Dani! That's amazing! I knew someone was bound to sign you." She leans forward and kisses you. "Why didn't you call me?"

"I knew you were at work." Really, you don't know how to tell her that part of your contract is going to include hiding so much of yourself, hiding her. "There's a uh, a catch with the contract."

"What, do we need to move to LA or something?" She smiles and squeezes your hand.

"No, it's more about, it has to do with you."

"With me? What about me?"

"I have to hide you. We can't be together in public."

"What?" She shakes her head. "That's ridiculous. You told them no, right?"

"I agreed." She drops your hand like you've burned her and slides back in her chair. "Santana, this is my break. You have to understand that."

"I don't have to understand anything Dani. You're willing to hide yourself, hide me?"

"It'll just be for a while." You sigh, you actually don't know how long you'll have to hide her. Will they let you come out?

"You don't know that." She snaps as she stands up.

"Where are you going?"

"To bed. Feel free to join me, unless you're afraid people will find out who you come home to." You can hear the hurt in her voice as she walks over to the bed and slips under the covers.

You don't sleep that night. You're so used to falling asleep with Santana wrapped around you. She's right next to you, but feels so far away. When you wake up, she's already gone. She has an early shift at the diner. You spend most of the day in the apartment, looking for something to wear to the office to sign your contract. While you're looking for your leather jacket, you find Santana's iPad. Her iMessages lighting up the screen.

_U ok? U looked really sad this morning. _

You don't recognize the number that comes with it. But you see that Santana has responded.

_Just going through some stuff. Thanks._

_I'll treat U 2 lunch on our break. Ur 2 pretty 2 b sad._

_Ok._

There's nothing else to the conversation. But you're out the door before you even realize it. Is Santana cheating? You get your big break and she can't deal with it, so she cheats? When you get to the diner you see her sitting in a corner booth with a girl you don't recognize. They're deep in conversation and Santana doesn't see you coming up to the table.

"So this is it? You can't deal so you're going to move onto the next girl?" You're angry, but you don't want to draw attention to your little corner.

"Who the hell are you?" The other girl asks, standing up to step between you and Santana.

"I'm her girlfriend, that's who I am. Who the hell are you?"

"Dani, don't." Santana sighs and stands, "Jamie, it's fine."

Jamie walks away from the table and stands behind the counter, watching the two of you. "Who is she?" You snap and watch Santana flinch.

"She's just a friend, she started working here a little while ago. We have a lot of the same shifts."

"Are you sleeping with her?"

"What? Dani, she's straight. Where is this coming from?"

"I saw your texts." You challenge.

"Why are you looking through my things? You know what? No, you don't get to accuse me of anything. You're never home, and when you are it's to tell me that I have to be your dirty little secret. You don't even care about what's going on in my life. I have dreams too, Dani." She gets up from the booth and walks to the break room.

You follow her and see her changing out of her uniform, that's when you see the large bruise on her side. "Santana, what the hell happened?"

"Now you care? Now I exist?" She quickly pulls her shirt over her head and grabs her bag.

"Santana, don't be like this. You know how hard I've worked for this."

"And you know how much I've supported you. Through everything. And I'm not going to make you choose between your music and me. I don't even want to know what your choice would be. So I'll just make your choice for you."

She leaves you standing in the break room by yourself. Did she just break up with you? You're not sure. Jamie comes in behind you and clears her throat. "The bruise, the one that's on her side. The new overnight fry cook did that." You turn around to face her, "He got handsy with her, and when she told him to stop, he punched her. Don't worry, he got fired."

"Why didn't she –"

"Why didn't she tell you? Because she doesn't think you care anymore." She shrugs and walks out of the room.

How distant have you been in the last few weeks? You know that Santana has been working a lot, but she's always shown up to your gigs. You realize that you've been so focused on getting a contract that you've completely neglected your girlfriend. You failed to notice that someone had assaulted her. And you told her that your career was important enough to keep her a secret.

Your phone beeps with a reminder to head over to Andy's office to sign your contract. You take a cab and decide pretty quickly what you're going to do. As soon as you're shown to a conference room you walk up to him.

"Well, well, well, ready to make your dreams come true?" Andy smiles and you see how sleazy he really is.

"I can't. I can't sign that."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not going to sign with a label that needs me to hide who I am and who I love. I'm sorry, actually, I'm not sorry."

"You're making a huge mistake." He calls out as you walk towards the door.

"It's my mistake to make."

You rush home and see Santana sitting on the bed with her head in her hands. You can hear that she's crying. When she looks up at you, her eyes are red and her cheeks are wet. You sit next to her on the bed and take her hand.

"I'm so sorry. I've been the worst girlfriend ever. I'm so so sorry Santana. Please don't go." You cup her face and kiss her forehead before pulling her body into yours. "I love you, so so much. Please give me a chance to be better."

"I can't do this if you're going to hide me." She whispers and hiccups as more tears fall down her face.

"I didn't sign the contract, I told them I couldn't do it." You pull her closer and feel her arms snake behind your back.

"Why?"

"Because you're more important. Loving you is more important. And I'm sorry I forgot that." You hold her close, running your hand down her back. When she flinches, you remember the large bruise on her side, "Baby, why didn't you tell me someone hurt you?"

"I didn't think you'd care." She whispers.

"Oh, Santana." You didn't realize that being so stuck in your head had affected her so much. "Let me see." She pulls away from you and pulls her shirt up revealing a dark bruise on her side. "I'm going to kill him."

"He got fired and the cops don't know where he is. I'm fine." She doesn't look at you, choosing instead to pick at a thread on her jeans.

"You're not fine, you were assaulted and I didn't know about it. Please talk to me."

"You forgot about me." She whispers and takes a breath. "You got so wrapped up in finding a label that you forgot about me." She looks up at you as more tears slip down her cheeks.

"Santana, I am so sorry. I don't know why it took me so long to remember that I don't want to do any of this without you. You are more important, _we_ are more important. And I will spend the rest of my life making sure you know that." You cup her cheek and are so relieved that she lets you kiss her. It's small and gentle, but you know it's what you both need.

"I don't want to be without you, okay?" She whispers. "I need you in my life, and you can't do that to me again."

"I won't. I love you."

"You really didn't sign with them?"

"I couldn't do it. I saw what our life would be like, hiding you and having to fake date guys. It was awful, and nothing is worth doing that to us or to you."

"I love you." Santana whispers and you pull her body into yours and lie down. You feel her breathing even out as you hold her, your hand slowly stroking her back.


	24. Maybe They're Magic

_A/N: Prompts from Canver07081994: Naming the baby and bringing him home. So my flight got cancelled (boo weather) and you get a (short) chapter. Thanks again for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts (which I am still taking)!_

* * *

You're sitting in the chair next to Dani while she sleeps. You keep looking up at her, making sure she's still sleeping. Being in labor for fourteen hours is exhausting. You would be asleep too if it weren't for the little bundle of new skin and blankets in your arms. And he really is tiny, coming in at exactly seven pounds. He has Dani's dimples and a mop of curly dark hair. You've never fallen in love so fast, from the moment you heard his cries to the second the nurse placed him in your arms. There's nothing you wouldn't do for him.

"He still needs a name." Dani whispers as her eyes flutter open. She gives you a lazy smile as she watches the two of you.

You help Dani sit up and hand the baby to her, watching as her face softens even more as she cradles him to her. "What do you think mama? What's his name?"

You look at Dani and then down to your son's face, he yawns and gurgles as he sleeps in Dani's arms. Your heart clenches. "Anthony."

"Anthony?" She smiles as she rocks him.

"Yeah, sort of like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, we love that book. And he used to kick so much when I would read it to him." You smile, remembering so many nights reading to Dani's pregnant belly.

"Anthony." She says again and smiles. "I think he looks like an Anthony, maybe a Tony too."

"Anthony Harper-Lopez." You smile wider.

"It's a good name."

"Well, you made something amazing. The least we could do is give him a good name."

"We made." She leans towards you and you take the hint to kiss her gently. "He wouldn't be here if you didn't love him just as much."

* * *

You take him home the next day. Dani cradling him as you unlock the door. The apartment is quiet. Rachel must have come over and cleaned up for you while Dani was in labor. There's a large flower arrangement of gerbera daisies from her on the dining room table. _April flowers for your newest addition. xx R_

"Welcome home baby." Dani whispers as she slowly walks towards the nursery. You follow closely to see if she needs anything.

"What can I get you?" You didn't realize that you were this nervous. You were fine (sort of) all through the pregnancy. You rocked being Dani's partner during the birth and you loved showing off your new baby to everyone at the hospital. But it's now sinking in that you have a son. You have a child. You're a mom.

"Santana, are you okay?" Dani sounds worried, you may have spaced out for longer than you thought.

"We're moms."

"Yeah."

"We're parents."

"Uh hu."

"We have a baby."

"You're freaking out now, aren't you?"

"I'm not," she looks at you, "I'm freaking out." You sigh and watch her smile as she rocks Antony.

"He's non refundable." She laughs quietly. She knows how much you wanted this, wanted him. You cried just as much when the treatments didn't take, and she was always there to hold you when you broke a few days later.

You walk quickly to kneel next to the chair, "And I'm so glad." You kiss Anthony's head, your lips lingering on his new hair. "Welcome home little man."

When Anthony starts to fuss, Dani already knows what he needs. Before you know it, Anthony is cradled to your chest as Dani pulls her sweater off and starts to unbutton her shirt. She unsnaps her nursing bra and reaches for Anthony. He fusses for a moment before latching on and starting to suck.

Dani shifts her shoulders and winces, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just not used to nursing yet. And he's really going for it."

You chuckle and run a gentle finger down his cheek, feeling the way his jaw works as he eats. "He's so amazing. Thank you." You kiss her, "Thank you for doing this for us."

"He's the best thing I've ever produced." She smiles down at him, her eyes shining in a new way that you love.

"You probably won't be winning a Grammy for him though." You smile and kiss her cheek as she rolls her eyes at you.

"All I need is for him to be happy and healthy." She smiles and shifts her shoulders, but she knows you agree. You both spent so many nights talking about your dreams for him, but they always ended with hopes for him to be happy and healthy. And now that he's here, those dreams are tangible.

Anthony falls asleep against Dani's breast, her nipple slipping from his mouth as his little chest rises and falls. You gently take him so Dani can put her shirt back on. You walk around the nursery, taking your time to look at the artwork that your parents and Dani's father had sent. He's already surrounded by so much love and he's two days old. You feel Dani's arms wrap around your waist.

"I love you." You whisper to both of them.

"We love you too." Dani kisses the base of your neck and watches as you lay him in his crib.


	25. Catch Me I'm Falling

_A/N: Prompts: Fertility treatment doesn't work, they find out Santana can't have kids. Good lord you guys love your angst. (Also, I'm not a doctor) Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts!_

* * *

You grip Santana's hand while the two of you wait. This is Santana's ninth fertility treatment this year and you both really want to give Anthony a sibling. He's almost three and you know that Santana has been aching to carry for the two of you, you could see it the moment she held him for the first time. When the timer goes off, Santana looks at you with wide eyes. She looks so tired and you know that each negative test weighs down on her.

"Hey, no matter what, I love you. Okay?" You cup her cheek and wait for her eyes to meet yours before she nods.

"I love you too." She whispers back and reaches for the test. You know immediately what it says. Her eyes glaze over as she puts the test down and walks towards her office.

You sigh and pick up the test, negative. Again. You give her a few minutes before quietly pushing the door to her office open. She's staring at her computer screen with her hands pressed to her stomach, when you hear her sniffle you kneel down and pull her left hand away and hold it.

"It's okay." You whisper, even though you know it isn't. She isn't okay.

"What's wrong with me?" Her voice is so quiet and broken and your heart breaks with understanding, she thinks something is wrong with her.

"Nothing, there is nothing wrong with you." You stand and pull her body into yours, cradling the back of her head as she cries into you. Santana cries until she exhausts herself and lets you guide her to the bedroom. You help her change into her favorite sweatpants and pull her into bed with you, she doesn't say anything, just lets you hold her as she continues to softly cry herself to sleep.

Rachel brings Anthony back from a day at the park later that evening. Anthony is passed out on her shoulder when you open the door, "Hey, thank you for taking him out today." You lead her to his room and start taking off his shoes as soon as he's on his bed.

"It was no problem. He's my main man, gotta keep reminding him who is favorite aunt is." She smiles and goes to the drawer where she already knows his pjs are. "Where's Santana?"

"She sleeping, she wasn't feeling well." You take a deep breath as you start changing Anthony.

"Oh, well will you tell her that I'll call her later about the workshop?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, and I hope she feels better." You do too, but this isn't something so easily fixed.

"Thanks, I'll tell her." Rachel kisses your cheek and then Anthony's head before showing herself out.

You take a look at your son's sleeping face and smile, "Your mama's going to be a little sad for a while. But she loves you so so much." You kiss his forehead before turning on the baby monitor and going back to Santana. You slip into bed and pull her body as close to you as you can, cradling her head so you can run your fingers through her hair. "I love you."

Santana makes an appointment with the fertility specialist a few days later. She's been so quiet the last few days, you hope that you'll come away with good news. Anthony picked up on Santana's mood quickly, he's so much like her, he just knew that she needed him to be close. You came into her office to find Santana typing away with Anthony on her lap, watching her quietly as she worked.

She grips your hand while you wait in the office. They'd done a new set of tests on Santana while you waited. You hated waiting, you hated that Santana was being prodded and checked and that she was alone. What if something _was_ wrong?

When the doctor walks in, Santana tenses and holds your hand even tighter, "Well Santana I think we know what the problem is." You don't like her tone, it doesn't sound hopeful. Neither one of you says anything, "You were born premature, correct?"

"Yeah." Santana stutters.

"Something in your development as a child has made you infertile." You've never hated a word more in your life.

You feel Santana's heart break.

"Oh." Everything in her body deflates, "Thank you." She picks up her purse and walks to the door.

You look at the doctor, "Thank you." You don't want to be here anymore, you need to find Santana.

"I am sorry. This is never something I like to tell patients. Please let me know if there's anything else I can do."

You nod again before walking out to find Santana in the waiting room. She's staring at a young woman, maybe six months pregnant. "Come on, let's go home." Santana doesn't say anything during the cab ride home, she just lets you hold her hand while silent tears slip down her cheeks. When you get home she changes back into her pjs and slips under the covers. "Do you want something to eat?"

"No." It comes out barely above a whisper.

You kick off your shoes and climb into bed and hold her. You feel her body tense as your arms wrap around her, but she softens as you start humming quietly. The truth is that you don't know what to say to her, you don't know how to fix this. All you can do is hold her until she comes to terms with the fact that she can't have a baby. She can't have your baby.

When you leave to pick Anthony up from day care, Santana is fast asleep. As soon as he sees your face, his turns serious. "Mommy sad." He tells you as you take his little backpack and his hand.

"Yeah, Tony. Mommy's sad." You smooth back one of his cow licks and give him a watery smile. There's no doubt that he's Santana's son. He may look like you, but he has so much of her in him. As soon as you get home, he bounds into Santana's office and cries when he doesn't find her. "It's okay baby, mama's sleeping." You pick him up and take him into the kitchen for a snack.

By his bedtime you're really worried. Santana never misses putting Anthony to bed. You spend extra time with him, singing him his favorite songs until he falls asleep. When you check in on Santana she's still asleep, although there are fresh tear stains on her cheeks. You set the baby monitor next to her and step into the shower. The water is hot and refreshing, and you finally let yourself cry. You cry for Santana, for you, for the baby she can't have for your family. When you're finally in bed, you pull Santana in to you and whisper that you love her until you fall asleep.

Santana doesn't get out of bed for three days. Anthony comes in to see her and climbs onto the bed with her. You always see her arm wrap around him to pull him close. He always walks to you and hugs you after, he may not understand what's going on, but he understands that you're both hurting. When she does get out of bed, it's in the middle of the night. You find her at the kitchen table with the scrapbook of your pregnancy open in front of her. She doesn't flinch when you sit down next to her.

"I don't understand." She sighs as she runs her fingers over a picture of you cradling your belly.

"I don't think there's anything we can do to understand this time." You take her hand and kiss her palm before intertwining your fingers.

She's silent for a few minutes, then, "I just wanted to do this so much. For both of us. For Tony."

It's the first time she hasn't been able to give everything she has for your little family. "You give him everything just by being his mama. And you give me everything just by being my wife." Her face crumples before she starts to cry and you pull her body over to sit on your lap. "It'll be okay. You don't have to be okay right now, but you will be. I love you and Tony loves you."

She cries herslf to sleep in your arms. It takes you a few minutes, but you're able to carry her back to bed. You don't fall back asleep, instead you hold her close and watch her face as she sleeps. She still looks pained and exhausted.

It takes a few weeks, but Santana starts to smile more. She takes Anthony out to the park and takes you to dinner. She had thrown herself into work for a while. Choosing to exhaust herself in order to not think. You knew it wasn't healthy, but you let her do what she needed while you kept a close eye on her. Ordering food to be delivered to her casting sessions and sending Anthony into her office to distract her for periods of time.

A few months later she comes to you with her iPad. You're sitting on the sofa reading a review of your episode of Saturday Night Live. She sits next to you as you put your paper down. "I have an idea."

"Okay." You can tell she's nervous.

"I uh, I did some research. And you know how I can't -" you squeeze her hand, she still can't say it out loud, "well, I was thinking, if you want. You could."

"I could what?" You're pretty sure you'd do just about anything short of a felony for her.

"They could take one of my eggs and you could carry it. You could have my, our, baby." She breathes out and hands you the iPad. You look through the pages she has bookmarked.

"You really want this?" You need to be sure.

"Yeah, I really do." She gives you a watery smile, and it's the first time in months that you believe she's okay.


	26. Dangerous Woods

_A/N: Prompt: One of Dani's fans become a little too obsessive and starts stalking her which makes Santana freak out. Nothing too drastic happens, just maybe the fan shows up at all of Dani's shows and Santana starts insisting on Dani having more security. Thank you so much for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! You guys are seriously the best._

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Dani is sitting on one of the speakers while her earpieces get plugged into her pack. She looks adorable in her oversized hoodie and messy ponytail. After a successful first album and tour (followed by two weeks of just the two of you on a beach) she's doing some small secret gigs around New York. It was your idea, sort of. You had made a passing comment of how it would be cool if she went back to all of the small clubs and coffee shops that earned her a small following in the city. So now she's sitting on a small stage while the staff is busy trying to not stare. They've all signed a non-disclosure, Dani will tweet a clue about the show in a few hours. And sure enough, a crowd will gather outside.

"I'm going to make a coffee run, do you want something?" You ask her as you approach the stage.

"Oh my god yes." She sighs as you run your hand down her arm to lace your fingers together, her engagement ring catching on your hand.

"The usual?"

"Yes please. Thank you baby."

"Yeah yeah." You smile, "I'll be back in a few." You make your way out to the street, this time her concert is in a little Brooklyn bar not far from the loft. You used to spend a lot of time here, watching Dani sing alone with her guitar. Now she has her band.

The coffee shop down the street hasn't changed, the staff has, when did they become younger than you? Thankfully the coffee is still good and strong. While you're in line you spot someone who looks familiar, but you don't know why. He isnt one of your thousands of head shots, but you know you've seen him before. But then again, this is New York. He makes eye contact wih you and you narrow your eyes until he stutters and looks away. Kids these days.

Dani is grateful when you walk into her makeshift dressing room and hand her fresh coffee. "I knew there was a reason I loved you." She smiles and kisses you before sitting back down to have her hair done.

"You mean it isn't just because of the sex?" Her stylist rolls his eyes as he curls another section of hair.

"Well, fine, two reasons."

"Have a good show baby." You kiss her and then make your way out to the bar.

Everything out front is set. You're usually not allowed backstage because Dani gets 'delayed' and then people get mad. So you sit at the bar and finish your coffee while everyone gets ready. Dani has already sent out her tweet and you can hear a crowd gathering outside, some of her fans are really fast.

Forty minutes later, and it's packed. That's when you see the same guy from the coffee shop standing at the other end of the bar. You narrow your eyes but the lights dim and Dani walks out on stage.

Two weeks later you're getting coffee again from a place in the lower east side when you see him again. When you walk back to the little club, you think you see or feel him follow you. But when you turn around, he isn't there. Maybe you're drinking too much coffee. You don't tell Dani, she has enough to think about. But you do talk to the security guard.

"Have you ever dealt with stalkers?" You don't know the guy's name, but he's big.

"Yeah. Why, you got one?" He doesn't look at you when he talks, choosing to keep scanning the area around him.

"No, I just have a feeling." You shrug.

"Feelings are usually right. Got a description?"

"Twenties, light brown hair, guy."

"I'll keep an eye out."

"Thank you." You feel a little better as you walk back inside.

Sometime during the set you think you see him again. But the lights are low and there are so many people. You've also had a few drinks. Maybe you should actually talk to Dani. You should definetly talk to Dani.

You're lying in bed when it comes back to you, your hands running down Dani's back as her breathing evens back out. "How much security do you have?"

"What?"

"Security, how much do you have?"

She looks up at you and rests her chin on your chest, "Like, bodyguards?"

"Yeah."

"None. I'm not a priority to the label." She sees that your about to protest, "I mean I'm not famous enough. Why? Did someone threaten you?"

"No, no." You're quick to reassure her, "Nothing happened to me. I just keep seeing this guy at your secret gigs."

"Babe, I get a lot of repeats to these gigs. You know that." Her voice is calm, she must sense your nerves.

"But I keep seeing him _before_ the shows. Like whenever I make a coffee run before you send out the tweet. He's always there."

"Oh, that's a little wierd then. Look, I feel safe. As soon as I don't I'll call my manager."

"But -" She kisses you.

"You make me feel safe, and that's what matters. I love you."

"I love you too." You sigh and let her fall asleep against you.

Her next show is a week later at the The Strand in Astoria. She used to love performing there, and they were more than happy to have her back. You make your regular coffee run and see the same guy again. You walk up to him and spin him around, "Who the fuck are you and why are you following my fiancé?"

"I uh." He stutters and looks terrified.

"You uh, what? You forgot that it's rude to stalk?" You know other people in the coffee shop are staring.

"I'm in love with her." He whispers and tries to back away from you.

"How do you know where the gigs are?" You demand but he doesn't answer. "Answer me or I call the cops."

"I know where you live." He admits.

"Now I'm calling the cops. How the fuck do you know where we live?" Your hands are wrapped around the collar of his hoodie so he can't get away. Now everyone in the coffee shop is staring. "Answer me dick for brains." You shout and he flinches.

"I - I followed you home."

You jerk him forward and realize that he's much taller than you. "Excuse me? You followed me where?" You're growling at this point.

"Home. I followed you home. You were easier to follow since you take the subway." He admits. You're seething. Somewhere it registers that someone is calling the cops and you hear a gasp that you know belongs to Dani.

"Dani! Dani! I'm in love with you!" He shouts over your shoulder.

You jerk his collar around so he can't see her anymore, "You don't love her you-you, god I'm so angry I can't insult you. Oh good, cops. If I ever see your sorry looking face again I will end you." You shove him to the officer standing in front of Dani and watch as he's read his rights.

"What the hell happened?" Dani skirts around the officer and grips your arms. You're breathing heavily and clenching your fists.

"That guy - he - you." You take a deep breathe and pull Dani's body into yours. "You're getting a bodyguard." You don't leave any room for her to argue.

"Okay." She presses her palms against your back and nods her head.

"And I'm hiring a driver."

"Okay. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you." She pulls back and kisses you gently.

"Yeah, we'll, now you know I'm always right."

She chuckles against you, "Of course baby."


	27. All Things Bright and Beautiful

_A/N: Prompt: Dani's body issues. Thank you so much for the favs/follows/reviews (that are very kind) and prompts! Also thanks to whoever gave me a fic rec on tumblr! (My username is Jellysnack, don't post my fics, but a lot of random things)_

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The double shift you're working is starting to really suck. Not that it didn't before, but exhaustion is creeping up your body. The only good thins is that Santana is standing across the room taking orders from a group of tourists. She smiles when she turns around, feeling that you were watching her.

Kurt slides up next to you at the counter, "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Your reaction time is a little slow, you've been working a lot the last few days. You really need a new amp. And you want to buy Santana a nice Christmas pressent.

"You look like you're going to fall over or fall asleep taking an order."

"Oh, yeah. I've been working a lot." You shrug like it isn't a big deal.

"You should take a break. Maybe nap? Or eat something."

You start to nod when as two teenagers sit at the counter. "Girl doesn't need to eat, look at that ass."

Kurt starts to protest, but you wave him off, "What can I get you?" You're better than this. (At least you tell yourself you are)

"Two cheeseburgers, two shakes and a salad for you." One of them says, and he looks so smug you want to smack him.

You write down the order and take the ticket to the window, muttering under your breath, "Stupid bridge and tunnel douchebags." You keep serving them, despite their rude comments about your figure. You try to let it slide, but the comments stick. Every time Santana asks you what's wrong, you just tell her that you're tired.

When the three of you get to the loft, Rachel is running around the apartment in her underwear tearing through the piles of clothes in the apartment. "Santana! Have you seen my purple shirt?"

You would laugh at the panic in her voice, but your eyes linger on her slim hips, the way the muscles in her stomach are gentle but defined. How her breasts are small and don't seem to move, even as she waves her arms around.

"The one you asked me to take to the dry cleaners?" Santana asks as you make your way to her room. "Which by the way, I am not your personal assistant."

"Yes! That one! Where is it?" Rachel sighs in relief.

"I gave you the ticket. What did _you_ do with it? Again, not your personal assistant." She shouts over her shoulder as she joins you in her room and starts stripping out of her uniform.

"Santana." Rachel whines and steps into Santana's room.

"Nope. Get out. What if we had been naked?" She turns Rachel around by the shoulders and pushes her out through the curtain.

"I've already seen you both naked." Rachel sighs like it's something she really doesn't need to see again. To be fair, if someone is moaning you shouldn't come into their room.

You watch Santana from your place on her bed as she and Rachel argue about the dry cleaning. You take special notice of how the notches in Santana's spine are visible and how her hipbones cut out. The defined lines of her abs, how toned the muscles in her arms and legs are. She looks so hard and sharp, but you know when you're wrapped around each other, she's soft.

"Hey, aren't you going to change?" She already has her sweats on and is pulling her hair up in a loose bun.

"What?" Your eyes snap back up to hers.

"You need to stop working so many double shifts." She helps you stand and pulls the zipper down your uniform.

"Wait!" You stop her, "I uh, I think I'm going to take a quick shower." You grab the clothes that she's set aside for you and step out of her room. You ignore the look of concern on her face as you quickly walk to the small bathroom and lock the door. The water feels good, washing away the grease and stress from a twelve hour day at the diner. You let the water relax your muscles as you try to forget the comments from that stupid kid. Santana loves you, she loves your curves. She's told you and you've overheard her telling other people, sometimes she overshares.

When you get back to Santana's room, she's got her glasses on and is reading the last book her mom sent her. She pulls the covers back and opens her arm to invite you to snuggle in next to her. You slide in and rest your head on her chest while she continues to read, she kisses your head and you close your eyes.

"Dani, are you okay?" She whispers and you feel her hand start running through your damp hair.

"Yeah," you lie, "just really tired."

"Okay. Love you." She kisses your head again.

"Love you too." You mumble before falling asleep.

You leave the next morning while everyone is still asleep. You look at the food in the fridge and decide to skip breakfast. A nagging voice at the back of your mind resurfacing with the same tone as the teenager from yesterday. You look at your face in the mirror and sigh before pulling the door open and making your way to the street. Thankfully the diner is busy during the first part of your shift. You don't have time to focus on how hungry you actually are. It isn't until Santana comes in with a bagel hanging out of her mouth that you feel your stomach grumble.

"Hey baby." Santana says as she passes you to put her things away in the break room. When she comes back, the bagel is gone. "I missed you this morning." She gives you a light kiss as she's tying her apron on and digging out her notepad.

"You were too cute to wake up." You smile and thumb away some cream cheese from the corner of her mouth. She smiles and kisses you again before making her way to her section.

A few hours later you're standing behind the counter again and Kurt comes to stand next to you. "You should take a break. I haven't seen you stop working since we got here, and I know you got here early again."

"I'm fine Kurt." You snap.

"Have you eaten anything?" He's eyeing you and you don't like it.

"I'm fine." You snap again. You walk away from him but sway on your feet, suddenly Santana's arms are around you and she's walking you to the break room.

"Hey, what's going on?" She sits you down and cups your face. Why do you feel so clammy?

"Nothing, I'm fine." You want to snap at her too, push her away. But you can't, and she's reading you all too well. She's looking at you like she knows this dark part of you.

"You're not fine." She says it gently, without judgement. "I'll be right back." She walks out of the room and comes back a few minutes later with a grilled cheese and glass of juice. "Here." She's watching you with gentle eyes as you tear off a small piece and eat it. She sits with you while you eat, running her hand soothingly down your back. When you finish eating, she takes the dishes back to the kitchen and picks up your things, "Come on, we're going home."

"What?" She's already holding your jacket up for you to put on.

"You need sleep, and we need to talk. I already told Gunther." Nothing in her tone is forceful or judging, but it doesn't leave room for you to argue. So you put on your jacket and let her take your hand to walk outside and towards the subway.

When you get to the loft, she hands you your clothes and takes hers to the bathroom to change. "I'll be in the living room when you're ready." She kisses your forehead and leaves you to change. That's when you realize that your cheeks are wet.

You take a few minutes to change and wipe the tears from your face, taking a deep breath before stepping out of her room and into the living room. Santana is sitting on the sofa with her legs curled under her. "Hey."

"Hi." You sit down next to her and let her rearrange the two of you so that you're lying on top of her.

The two of you lay there in the quiet for a few minutes before she takes a deep breath, your body rising on top of hers as she does so. "I've always been really scrawny." She starts, and you press your ear to her chest to feel the way her voice resonates. "My family was always feeding me, and I didn't think anything of it until I joined the Cheerios."

"Your cheerleading squad?"

"Yeah." She takes another deep breath, "Our coach was super crazy. And we had to keep to this strict diet, especially the flyers. So I stopped eating what my family would give me all the time. And I was drinking this awful cleanse thing. My parents started to notice that I wasn't eating a lot, so they made me sit and eat dinner with them. What they didn't know was that I was throwing it all up as soon as I was excused."

Your breath hitches, now you understand why she was looking at you with such understanding. You never thought this beautiful girl would having something so dark in her.

"It went on like that for a while. I was crazy skinny, but I had gotten so good at hiding parts of myself that I didn't like or I wasn't ready to face."

"What happened?" You know that she's healthy now, you've seen her eat half a pizza by herself, and she dances all the time. She's also usually the one in the apartment to make dinner.

"We were having this big family gathering at our house. School had just gotten out so I was finding more excuses to not eat or excuse myself from the table. Anyway, it was really hot out, I don't think I'd actually eaten anything for two days. One minute I was taking to my cousin and the next thing I knew I was in the hospital."

"Oh my god, Santana." You press yourself closer to her and feel her hands press onto your back.

"My parents were freaking out. And we all flew to this rehab place in Florida. They didn't want to send me alone, so they rented a house by the water and came to see me whenever they were allowed."

You let the information sink in, and then another thought hits you, "Didn't you get your boob job in Florida?"

She sighs again, "Yeah. I was so unhappy with everything about me. My parents agreed to let me get them done after we had a therapy session."

"The therapist thought it was a good idea?"

"Not at first. We talked about it a lot. And when I was done with rehab, I got them done."

"Are you happier because of them?" You've never asked her about getting plastic surgery. You had seen the small scars and asked, but that was it.

"I was at first. And then I sort of hated them for a while. But I like them now." She shrugs and your body shifts again.

"I like them too." You smile and she chuckles beneath you. "Why are you telling me all of this?"

You sit up a little and study her face, her hands coming to smooth over the features of your face. "I wanted you to know that you're not alone. You don't have to tell me your story if you're not ready. But I want you to know that I'm here when you are."

You let her hold you for a while, her story sinking in. "Do you, have you ever relapsed?"

"Yeah. When I first moved here and it was really overwhelming." She strokes her hands down your back and you sink further into her.

"What did you do?"

"I called my mom and cried. She said it was okay to come back home, but that she knew I was strong. That I could do anything. So I stuck it out and called her whenever I was feeling down. I made sure to eat at least twice a day, even if it was small."

"You really strong, Santana." You mumble.

"So are you. You've been through a lot. And it's okay to feel down or overwhelmed. Just know that I'm here, even if you don't want to talk. And you have to know that I love you, everything about you." She pulls you up so that you can look into her eyes, "You're so beautiful, and there isn't a thing I would change about you."

"Thank you." You whisper and lay your head back down on her chest, her arms coming up to wrap tightly around you. You're grateful for this intimacy. She doesn't need to show you that she thinks you're beautiful sexually. She just holds you and you can feel it. You wonder what you've done to have her in your life. You start drifting off to sleep, but as you do Santana's voice slowly starts replacing the ones that lived in dark corners. It whispers that you're loved, and beautiful, and more than enough.


	28. In Laughter and Strife

_A/N: Prompt: Santana and Dani find out about Finn's death. Thank you for all the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! You guys are seriously the best._

Santana is over at your apartment, it's her third time staying over and you're very much loving waking up to her arms wrapped around you and her messy head of hair. She's so quiet and gentle in the morning, something you would never guess from how she carries herself throughout the day. She's so strong and proud and sure of herself, you're pretty sure you're falling head over heals for this crazy girl.

You pick up your bathrobe and tie it around your waist, stepping around the various piles of clothes to kneel next to Santana. You brush some of her hair away and smile as she pulls your pillow closer to herself. She sighs as you run a gentle hand down her bare back, you kiss the middle of her back before making your way to the kitchen. You start the coffee maker and can't help but stare at the girl in your bed. It's been so long since you've found someone worth pursuing, and even longer since you've found someone willing to stop and let you catch them.

The smell of coffee fills your studio as you carry two mugs to the bed, cream for you and two sugars for Santana. The bed dips as you settle next to her, the warmth from your mug seeping into your hand. "Santana." You run your free hand through her hair and chuckle when she groans, "Time to wake up, pretty girl." There's a muffled version of nooo as she pulls the pillow in her arms a little closer. "I made you coffee." You smile when her eyes crack open.

"Have I told you that you're the best girlfriend ever?" Her voice is soft with that early morning rasp you find so cute and sexy.

You hum in response, "Not today."

She sits up and pulls the sheet up her body and leans in to kiss you good morning, "We'll, good morning best girlfriend ever." You smile and kiss her again before reaching behind you to pick up her mug from your nightstand. Santana hums as she takes her first sip, "Thank you."

"So we both have the day off, what's the plan?"

"I could use a day with just you," she kisses the apple of your cheek, "and me," the other side, "and this bed."

"Perfect." You pull your legs up onto the bed as Santana scoots closer to you, her arm wrapping around your waist as she craddles her coffee mug. It's strange how comfortable you both are with the silences that fall over you, they would usually make you so nervous. But here in your bed, bathed in the morning light with the girl you're slowly falling in love with, nothing could be more perfect.

You hear Santana's phone buzzing from her purse across the room, "I'm not getting that. It's too early." You chuckle because it's ten thirty and kiss her forehead. The phone eventually stops, only to start buzzing again. And again. And a fourth time.

"Maybe you should see who it is?" She groans as you pull away and walk over to her purse to pull out her phone. "They're all from Kurt." The phone starts buzzing in your hand as you walk back to the bed.

Santana takes the phone and unlocks it, "What's the emergency Hummel?" Santana sighs into the phone as she leans back. You watch her face as she listens to Kurt, "Wait wait wait. Slow down, what?" She sits up and you watch the color drain from her face. "Oh my god." She whispers, "Is she, how is she?" She nods a few more times, "I'll be there as soon as I can." She hangs up the phone and buries her head in her hands.

"Santana?" You run your hand down her back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. I need to go." She stands and starts sorting through the piles of clothes to find her outfit from yesterday.

"What happened?"

"Finn died. And Rachel is freaking out and I need to go." Her hands are shaking as she pulls her clothes on.

"Do you want me to come with you?" She just nods, you can see that she's trying to hold herself together. "Okay." You quickly get dressed and take her hand as the two of you leave your apartment. Santana grips your hand the entire way, you can feel her buzzing with a restless energy that she doesn't know how to deal with. You don't say anything, just let her squeeze your hand. The truth is that you don't know what to say to someone when their friend who's only nineteen dies. Mortality just got much more real in your little corner of the world.

The loft is quiet when the two of you get there. Kurt is sitting at the kitchen table staring at what is probably a cold cup of coffee. Rachel is nowhere to be seen. Kurt looks up when he hears the loft door click shut, his eyes are pink and swollen. He points to the bathroom and Santana lets go of your hand to make her way to the door.

"Rachel?" She tries softly and then wiggles the locked doorknob, "let me in, Rachel."

"Go away Santana." She yells from behind the door.

"No. Open the door." She tells her again, this time with more force in her voice.

"Leave me alone Santana! You hated him, go away!" Rachel's voice cracks.

"Open the goddamned door Berry. You're not the only one here who's hurting." Santana's voice cracks and Kurt looks up from the table to stare at Santana's back. When Rachel doesn't respond, Santana walks to the kitchen and finds the power drill. Rachel is screaming for her to stop as Santana takes the doorknob off, when Santana opens the door, Rachel steps forward and slaps her. You and Kurt gasp as Santana stands there and lets Rachel slap her and push her away.

What surprises you most is when Santana grabs her hands and wraps them around her body, pulling Rachel close even as she tries to fight her off. "Stop it. Stop it, Rachel. Shhh." Santana strokes her hair as Rachel relaxes against her and allows herself to be held, her hands coming up to grip at Santana's back.

"No no no no no." When Rachel starts to fight against her again, Santana walks the two of them back into the bathroom. You hear the water come on and Rachel screams. You and Kurt rush into the room and find both of them standing under the spray of water as Santana continues to hold Rachel and tries to calm her down.

After a few minutes under the water, Rachel's body goes limp as her eyes look glassy and empty. She's staring at you without seeing you. "Dani, can you get us some towels?" Santana's voice is soft as she turns the water off and pulls Rachel's body closer to hers. You nod and return as quickly as you can with a stack of clean towels. "Thanks, I got it." You take that as your cue to leave the two of them alone.

Kurt is back at the kitchen table with his cup of coffee. You look around and gently pry his hands away from the mug to pour it into the sink and make him a fresh cup. You've spent enough time with him at the diner to know that he takes his coffee with a little bit of milk and four spoonfuls of sugar. He stares at you as you sit down again and pull his hands so they're wrapped around his fresh cup. "How are you?" You keep your voice soft and gentle. You don't know much about Finn, only what Santana had told you when she talked about Lima.

"I don't know." Kurt shrugs, his shoulders tense as he does so.

"I think it's okay to not know." He takes one of his hands away from the coffee cup and lays it on the table palm up. You take his cue and wrap both of your hands around his. The two of you sit there, listening to Santana as she moves Rachel from the bathroom to her room and then as she changes Rachel into dry clothes. The silence that falls over the loft is eerie and heavy.

"You should go check on Santana." Kurt sniffles, "I'm going to call my dad again." Kurt stands and heads to his room where you hear him let out a long breath.

When you move the curtains to Rachel's room aside, you find Santana sitting up with Rachel wrapped around her body. Santana's hand is running through Rachel's hair as she stares blankly ahead of her. "Hey," you cup her cheek and feel her flinch as she registers you next to her, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Her tone is soft but clipped. You nod, hearing the emotion behind her words. She isn't fine.

Kurt comes into the room a little while later, offering to take Santana's place. You watch them change places, moving Rachel gently so she can wrap herself around Kurt. They freeze when she whimpers in her sleep, but when she grips Kurt they both relax.

"I'm going to take a quick shower." Santana doesn't really look at you, choosing to stare at her fingers as she picks at her still damp shirt.

"Do you want me to come with you?" You take her hand and wait for her to respond, when she give you a tiny nod you squeeze her hand and walk with her to the bathroom, grabbing more towels to set on the sink. When the door won't stay closed, you take the power drill and set it on the floor to keep the door closed.

You watch as Santana pulls her clothes off and turns the shower on, waiting for it to heat up before stepping under the spray. Her muscles are tense, even as you step in behind her and press your body close. You run your hands down her shoulders, to her hands and then to rest on her hips. When she reaches for her shampoo, you gently take it from her, silently telling her that you can take care of her. She sighs as your fingers work from her scalp and down through her hair, you take your time washing her body. You help her out of the shower and wrap her in a towel, following her out and back to her room. She pulls on loose jeans and a tank top while you get dressed.

You sit on the bed and watch her busy herself around her room. "Santana." She ignores you or doesn't hear you, "Santana." You try again, louder. She drops the book in her hand and gasps before turning to face you. Her face is stony and tight. "Come here." You move up the bed and pull her into you when she sits stifly beside you. "It's okay to feel."

"I'm fine." She lies and tries to pull away from you, but you hold her tighter. "Dani, I'm fine. Let me go."

"No. You don't have to talk, but I'm going to hold you."

She relaxes her body against yours. You hold her in the quiet of her room for a while until she breaks the silence, "I did hate him. For a while at least." She takes a breath and you let her take her time. "When he outed me, I wasn't ready. He made me deal with things I wasn't ready to face." You know this story, Santana had told you on one your early dates. "But he has, _had_, this stupid grin and such a big heart and now he's gone." The first sob that breaks through startles you but you're quick to pull her close to you, her hands grip at the front of your shirt as she cries. She cries quietly with her body shaking, you think maybe she doesn't want Kurt and Rachel to hear her breaking down. "I don't have the right to miss his stupid face." She chokes out.

"Oh Santana. Yes you do. You can miss him. It's okay." You sooth, your hands stroking at her hair and her back. "You can miss him too." You hold her close as she eventually cries herself to sleep, her body competly relaxed against you.

She wakes up a few hours later, her eyes swollen and voice raw. You step out of her room to get her a bottle of water and find Kurt on the phone booking last minute flights to Lima. Kurt nods at you as you walk back to Santana's room and open the bottle for her. "I think Kurt is getting plane tickets for you guys." You brush some of Santana's messy curls away from her face, your thumb stroking over her cheek bone.

Kurt's voice rings out from the kitchen, "Our flight leaves at nine thirty tomorrow morning." He sighs again and the heavy quiet settles over the apartment again.

Santana pulls out a suitcase from under her bed and starts throwing clothes in. As she starts, you start taking her clothes out, fold them, and put them back in. You move around each other quietly until her bag is packed and closed. She sits on the edge of her bed and takes a shakey, watery breath. "Will you be here when I get back?" Her voice is quiet and scared, and then it hits you. This is her first experience with death.

You sit next to her and take her hand in yours, "Of course. And I'm always a phone cal away when you need me. Okay?"

"Okay." She nods and sniffles, "Can you, would you hold me for a while?" She sounds so small, like she's afraid you're going to disappear in front of her.

"Yeah, come here." You lie back down and bring her with you, letting her head rest on your chest, just above your heart. "It's going to be okay, I know it doesn't feel like it now. But you're going to wake up one day at it won't hurt as much." You kiss her head and feel her arms tighten around you. "And when you get back, I'll be right here. But you have to promise me something." She hums against you, "You can't be afraid to feel. I know it's hard, but you've got a beautiful heart Santana, it's okay to show other people."

"I'll try." She mumbles against you.


	29. The Next Ten Minutes

_A/N: Prompt: Wedding vows and wedding. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! I still stand by that you guys are the best._

* * *

Dani is going to kill you. Dani is going to kill you and spend your honeymoon alone and bitching about how you couldn't write your damn vows. You're tapping your pen against your desk as you stare at the notebook that you asked your assistant for. So far you've drawn a bunch of circles and written out the lyrics to Rainbow Connection. Both of which are not helpful.

"Shit. Shit. Shit." You look at your watch and see that it's time to go home. "Shit." You're getting married in four days and you haven't written your vows yet. Dani is going to kill you. Your car is waiting for you outside the building and the ride is short, or at least it feels short as you try to figure out how to write your vows.

When you get home, Dani is already there. She's singing loudly as she moves around the kitchen. You stop by the counter and watch her as she opens the fridge and pulls a knife off of the magnetic mount on the wall. "Hey baby!" She smiles and leans over the counter to kiss you, "How was your day?"

"It was fine. How was yours?"

"Same." She shrugs as she starts chopping the carrots on the counter.

"Smells good." You kiss the back of her head as you pass her to open the fridge to grab a bottle of water.

"Should be done in about an hour." She tells you as she dumps the carrots into a glass dish before putting whatever it is in the oven. "How are your vows coming along?"

You really wish she'd stop asking. "Uh."

"Santana." She sighs your name, "Four days. We're getting married in four days."

"I know! Today was really busy." You lie, you didn't do anything today. The most productive thing you did was congratulate yourself for remembering the lyrics to Rainbow Connection by getting Shake Shack for lunch.

"Please try to work on them." She kisses you and makes her way to the sofa.

You sigh and sulk towards your office. It isn't that you don't know what to say, it's that you don't know how to word it. You love Dani, you love her more than you thought possible. There isn't anything you wouldn't do for her. You've both been through a lot over the last few years, everything making your relationship that much stronger. You groan as you stare at a blank document on your computer screen, the cursor taunting you as it blinks. "Why is this so hard?" You whine into your empty office.

Twenty minutes later you get an email from Puck. The only thing in the body of the email is a YouTube link. When you click on it, you see Madeline Kahn in a wedding dress. You start laughing as you listen to the lyrics and watch her facial expressions. Half way through the video you stop laughing, pause it and find the blank document. You type until Dani knocks on your door.

"Santana?"

"Huh?" You don't look up at her, choosing to stare at your screen as you continue to type.

"Dinner's ready. I called you like, five times."

"I'll be right there."

"Are you – "

"I'll be right there!" You cut her off. You're almost done and you don't want to stop.

When you walk into the kitchen, she's smirking as she carries two plates to the table. "Shut up." You tell her as you sit down.

"I wasn't going to say a word."

"Yeah, right." You laugh.

The days leading up to the wedding are hectic. The night you wrote your vows was the calmest in the week. The days leading up are filled with lunches and dinners with family and friends, last minute wedding emergencies and nights where the two of you are so exhausted, you both pass out.

You wake up Saturday morning and kiss the top of Dani's head, "Time to wake up."

"Ten more minutes," she mumbles.

"We're getting married today." You mumble into her hair.

You feel her smile against you, "We are."

She pulls away from you to get out of bed but you grab her hand and pull her body on top of yours. "You're going to be my wife in a few hours." You kiss her again and she starts to giggle when you won't let go of her.

"I won't be your anything if you don't let me get up." She kisses you again and stands. You watch her walk to the bathroom and hear the door lock. She knows you too well.

Rachel and Kurt come to get you a few minutes after some of Dani's friends from the record label pick her up. They take you to the hotel where the two of you are getting married and sit you down in front of the vanity as soon as you arrive. You relax as the makeup artist starts working.

"Are you nervous?" Rachel is perched on a footstool with what you assume is her stupid doe eyed grin. She's already cried four times.

"No." You shrug one shoulder, mindful of the brushes near your right eye.

"Not even a little?" Kurt asks, you hear him closing what you think is the mini fridge.

"Put back whatever is in your hand, Hummel."

"You sure you don't need a little liquid courage?" He taunts.

"No. I am one hundred percent sure this is the greatest choice I will ever make. I'm getting married to the woman I love. I don't need overly priced tiny bottles of booze to help me walk down that aisle." When you open the eyes, Rachel has her hands tucked under her chin and her eyes are bright and glistening. "Stop it Berry."

"You're just so beautiful Santana. And you're getting married. And you're so pretty." She sighs and you roll your eyes.

As the stylists finishes your hair, Kurt starts to unzip the garment bag with your dress. Rachel takes your hand and helps you stand as you drop the robe you've been wearing. When Kurt groans, you laugh. "Deal with it Hummel. I look hot and I'm treating you to a view that only Dani is going to get to see."

"Well, she's very lucky." Kurt looks over your shoulder as you smirk.

"How much was this?" Rachel takes in the white lingerie you're wearing.

"My wedding night is priceless." You step into your dress and feel the zipper slide up your back.

"Right." Rachel rolls her eyes but gasps when you turn to face her. "Oh Santana."

"What?"

"You look perfect." She wipes under eyes as there's a knock at the door.

She lets your mom in who starts to cry as soon as she sees you. "Oh look at my baby girl." She pulls you in for a tight hug and lightly kisses your cheek.

"Hi mom." You whisper.

"You look beautiful, Santana." She holds your shoulders and takes you in.

"We'll give you two some time." Rachel whispers as she and Kurt step out of the room and into the hallway.

"I am so proud of you. Of who you've become, of the life that you've built with Dani." She strokes her thumb over your wrist as she talks, "I couldn't be happier that this is where your life has taken you."

"Thanks mom." You give her a watery smile, you don't want to cry right now.

"I wanted to give you something. My mother gave this to me when I married your father, and she would be so proud to see you today." She opens a small box and you see a small blue enamel comb that you used to stare at when you were little. "Now, it's blue and borrowed, because one day you're going to give it to your daughter. Okay?" You don't trust your voice, so you nod and let your mom place the comb in your hair. "Perfect."

"I love you mom."

Rachel knocks on the door and sticks her head in, "It's time." You can hear the smile in her voice.

Your mom helps you stand again and takes your hand, leading you to the hallway and to the elevator. You love that you're getting married on a rooftop, you get to be surrounded by the people you love and the city you've called home for the last few years. Everyone steps out of the elevator and you see the wedding planner telling Rachel and Kurt where to go before turning to your mom and giving her instructions, that's when your dad slides in next to you.

"Hi nena. You look beautiful." He kisses the top of your head, mindful of the styling and the comb your mom had just put in.

"Hi daddy." You kiss his cheek and see that he's trying not to cry.

Music starts playing and you rest your hand in the crook of his elbow, "Be happy, Santana."

You want to tell him that you are, that you will be, but you start moving forward and all of your thoughts are gone when you see Dani standing at the end of the aisle. She's staring at you with wide, bright eyes that are telling you just how much she loves you. She smiles and gasps out a laugh when as you move closer. When your dad stops you, he kisses your forehead and does the same to Dani before sitting next to your mom.

The ceremony is a blur of words you won't remember. You're too busy getting lost in Dani's eyes and smiling every time she smiles, which is all the time.

As soon as Dani starts saying her vows, you start to cry. "I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. To create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. Today, I choose you to be your wife. I love you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life. I love you Santana."

You lean in to kiss her, only to hear the pastor beside you clear his throat. Dani chuckles and squeezes your hands. "I love you Dani. I'm not afraid to love you. I'm not afraid of forever or of what the future will bring because we'll be together. You make me better, happier, stronger. So today I offer all of myself without fear, knowing that you will take me as I am."

Dani squeezes your hands again and you see that there are tears in the corners of her eyes. She mouths that she loves you as the pastor continues with the ceremony. The band sliding against your finger feels alien and wonderful, Dani's fingers soothing the cold touch of the ring as it rests against your knuckle. You're so busy staring at the ring around Dani's finger that you don't hear that you can kiss your wife. _Your wife._ Dani's lips are soft as she kisses you and kisses you and kisses you.

You spend the reception kissing her as often as you can. When Rachel asks why you keep kissing someone you can kiss forever, you tell her that its because she's no longer your girlfriend, or fiancé. She's your wife. And she should be kissed often.


	30. Fever With Thy Flaming Youth

_A/N: Prompt from vbrown10: Santana's parents surprise visit the girls and Dani answers the door. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts!_

* * *

"Baby, I can't." You kiss the inside of Santana's thigh again as she tries to pull you up her body.

"I can't help myself." You lick your lips and moan before kissing her neck and slowly making your way back to her lips.

She hums into your mouth, "I've noticed." She breathes, she's still trying to catch her breath.

You hear her stomach grumble and start to laugh. You feel her body shaking beneath you as she starts to laugh with you. "Maybe we should get some food." You suggest as you let your body fall to her side, her arm coming around to rest low on your hip. "What do you want?"

"Pizza." She smiles and watches you reach for your phone.

"Our usual order?" You ask as you start scrolling to find the phone number for the pizza place you usually go to.

"Yes please." She untangles herself from you to walk to the kitchen. You place the order while you watch her move around the kitchen to find clean glasses to fill with water.

"Have I told you how much I love that you moved in with me?"

"Why, because you like to watch me walk around naked without the wonder twins screaming?" She snorts out a laugh. To be fair, the only times they saw either of you naked, they should have known better.

"Well, you do look very good naked." You smile as she brings two glasses of water over to the bed and straddles you. Your hands are quick to find her hips, smoothing over the skin and moving higher to cup her breasts. "And you always feel so good."

She moans as she puts her hands over yours, squeezing once, twice before taking your hands and pulling them to rest over your head. "Uh uh." She whispers as she licks the shell of your ear.

"The pizza, the pizza will –"

"Shh." She slides down your body, kissing your nipples only long enough to feel them harden, and then she's kissing the skin below your bellybutton. You slide your fingers through her hair as she wastes no time and sucks your clit into her mouth. You love when she takes her time, feeling you and tasting you. But you also love the rush when she takes you like this. Faster and harder to the point where you can't remember your own name.

Her tongue strokes the sensitive spots that make you gasp before sucking gently and then hard again. She never gives you a steady rhythm, she loves to hear you gasp out her name when she surprises you and slides her tongue lower to taste you and dip inside. "Oh god Santana." She builds a fast pace of sliding in and out of you while her hands grip your hips.

As you start grinding into her, chasing your release she pulls away for a second, "I love when you fuck my face." You moan, and then her lips are around your clit again sucking hard and fast as you cry out something that sounds like her name. She wraps her tongue around your clit again and sucks and you're coming as your back arches and you pull her face closer to you.

You ride out your orgasm as Santana helps bring you down before you're pushing her head away. She chuckles as she crawls up the bed to rest next to you, her face triumphant as you catch your breath. When you open your eyes, it's to see that Santana is running her fingers lightly through her own folds, stopping to circle her own clit before moving further down. Normally you would let her continue, sometimes watching is more fun. But you run your hand down her body, pinching at a nipple and then moving her hand out of the way to push two of your fingers inside of her.

You watch her face as she slowly pumps her hips to meet your fingers, a lazy smile on her face as she watches your hand. You kiss her shoulder as you watch her watch your hand between her legs. Her breasts bouncing slightly as she moves. God you love her breasts. You move down enough to wrap your lips around her nipple and suck lightly, just enough to tease her.

Then there's a knock at the door. "Shit." She whines at the interruption.

"I'll get it." You pull your fingers out and suck them clean, "don't you dare finish while I get the pizza." She groans as she watches you get off the bed and pull the top sheet around your body, Santana pulls the blanket up to cover herself, since she's in full view of the front door. The door knocks again, "I'm coming!" You shout.

"I was about to." Santana grumbles and you shake your head on your way to the door, grabbing your wallet before you open the door. "Oh my god."

Santana's parents are on the other side of the door, Mr. Lopez is holding a pizza box while Mrs. Lopez has a bouquet of flowers. Santana's parents are outside your apartment and you're wearing a sheet. And the apartment definitely smells like sex. Oh god.

You hear Santana get up and stand behind you, "Mom! Dad!" She almost shrieks, "What are you doing here?" You've never heard her voice so strained and nervous.

"We wanted to surprise you." Her mom says. Mr. Lopez won't look at either one of you as his face turns an even deeper shade of red. "So, surprise?" You can tell that she's trying to make this whole thing less awkward. You don't think that's possible.

Her father thrusts the pizza box forward and mumbles something about running into the delivery guy. He shoves his hands so far into his pockets you think he may tear holes in them.

"Well, we should get going. How about we have dinner later? Sounds good? Alright. Love you, bye." You watch as Santana's mother grabs her husband and walks towards the stairs, shaking her head and speaking in lightning fast Spanish.

You close the door and lean against it, taking in Santana's horrified face. And then you start laughing. You're laughing so hard that you slide down the door and sit with the pizza box next to you.

"This isn't funny!" Santana whines.

"This is hysterical." You wheeze between laughs.

"Dani! They know we were having sex!" She glares at you, but her hair is all over the place and her body is still flushed from everything happening before the knocks on the door.

"I think that was pretty obvious."

"Why are you not horrified?" She sits next to you, waving her arms around.

"Oh I am. Your dad couldn't look at us and your mom's eyes were about to bug out. But it's still funny."

"It is not funny." She insists.

"Maybe it isn't funny right now, but one day we're going to be able to tell our kids about it." You start laughing again.

"Our kids?" She asks in a breathless way that stops your laughing.

"Yeah. And they'll probably have the same face you have right now." You lean over and kiss her. "Now have some pizza and we can finish what we started."


	31. The Next Ten Minutes Part II

_A/N: Prompt from kaitlyn9393: __Wedding from Dani's point of view. The song is Belove by Carla Duren (which is on my tumblr: jellysnack). Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts!_

* * *

You're sitting at the piano in the living room, singing softly to yourself. _Love is patient, love is kind._ You're getting married in three days, and you can't wait for Santana to be officially, legally yours. You smile again as you keep singing, _never speaks from envy or pride. _

Santana had to leave early this morning because of an emergency at the office. Yesterday was supposed to be her last day of work until after the honeymoon, but they called her panicking because of some contract flub someone had made.

As long as she's done by lunch, the two of you are having lunch with your dad and his wife. It'll be the first time you meet her, and Santana knows how nervous you are. You pluck a few more notes on the piano until you hear the door unlocking and Santana swearing.

"Stupid fucker thinks he can change the contract. I'm going to rip him apart and feed – oh hey, baby." She sighs and sits next to you on the piano bench. "Ready to go in a few minutes?"

"Yeah, I'm glad you made it home in time. Rough few hours?" You stroke her back and feel her relax.

"Why do people have to be so stupid?"

You chuckle, because sometimes she hates the people she deals with. Especially some agents. "Just don't end up in jail." You kiss her cheek and stand, "I'm going to go put shoes on, and then we should leave."

"Okay."

You walk back to the bedroom and pull on a pair of sandals. When you catch your reflection, you straighten up and take a deep breath. You can do this. Santana has told you several times over the last few days that the two of you can leave if it gets too overwhelming. But you want to get to know your father better, you've been emailing and occasionally talking on the phone. He really does want to be a part of your life again, and he's been letting you set the pace.

Santana startles you when she comes up behind you, "It'll be okay. And we can always leave." She kisses the side of your head and takes your hand, leading you towards the door.

There are only a few photographers outside the building, asking questions about the wedding and trying to get you to stop. You've managed to keep the location away from the press as well as any details. No one knows what your dresses look like or who's attending. The truth is, you're having a rooftop wedding at a small hotel with a great view of the city you fell in love in. Instead of a star-studded guest list, you've both opted to be surrounded by people you love, not people who love your brand. But the press have been trying to get a location and date out of you since you sported your engagement ring eight months ago. They still think you're putting the wedding together for a fall date.

Santana ushers you into the waiting town car and you sigh when the door is closed behind her. You love your job, you love connecting with your fans, but you really hate the invasion of your private life. Photos of you appear everywhere whether you like it or not, what really bothers you is that they also follow Santana. She chose a life out of the spotlight, but it keeps finding her, not that you blame people who want photos of her, she's beautiful.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" You must have been staring.

"No, just admiring." You kiss her gently as the car weaves through traffic to take the two of you to your father's hotel.

When the two of you arrive at the restaurant in the hotel, you look around for your father, he stands when he sees you and waves you over to the table. He gives you a hug and then hugs Santana. "You two look wonderful." He smiles, and gestures to the woman behind him, "I'd like you to meet my wife, Sarah." You take her in, her kind smile and the way she watches you.

"It's so nice to finally meet you Dani. And you must be Santana." She shakes your hand then Santana's. You can tell that she doesn't want to overstep, this is a big deal for both of you.

"It's nice to meet you too." As you look at her you don't see any of the judgment you so vividly remember from your mother. Her eyes are soft and she smiles when Santana takes your hand as you sit down. "How was your flight?"

"Oh it was fine." Your father waves his hand. "How is the wedding coming along? The last time we talked you were getting ready to kill the caterer." He chuckles.

"We're ready to go. Just have to wait for everyone to get here." You smile and feel yourself start to relax.

"That's good to hear." Sarah smiles at the two of you, "Santana, what is it you do exactly?"

"I'm a casting director, I help cast a lot of Broadway shows and a few commercials."

"That's incredible!" Sarah smiles at the two of you, "It seems like you've found yourself a wonderful woman, Dani."

"Thanks, I think so too." Santana squeezes your hand, "So you're a teacher?"

"I am. I teach AP chemistry. That's how I met your dad. He got lost on his first day at the high school." She smiles and you see how she brings out a lightness in your father that you hadn't seen growing up.

The conversation flows easily between the four of you. You learn that Sarah's sons, your twin stepbrothers, are both studying medicine on the west coast. She hands you a letter from each of them, telling you how sorry they are they can't be there to meet you, but they look forward to meeting you and your new wife.

As you're leaving, your father pulls you aside, "Danielle," he's the only one who calls you that, "I don't know what you're planning for the wedding, but if you'd like, I'd be honored to walk you down the aisle. Give you away. I know that we're taking things slow, but I couldn't be more proud of the life you've built with Santana."

You take a breath as your eyes well up, "Dad, I –"

"Just, think about it?"

"Yes. I'd love that. I love you." You breathe out. It's the first time since you've reconnected that you've told him that.

He pulls you into him, his strong arms wrapping around you, "I love you too, baby girl." He pushes you towards Santana and smiles at her, "Well Santana, take care of my girl. I'll see you soon."

"Of course Mr. Harper." She mock salutes him before he pulls her in for a hug.

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Greg?" He chuckles.

You watch the two of them, the ease that they have around each other. Sarah slides in next you and pulls you in for a hug. "I'm so glad I finally got to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to let him back into your life." She whispers.

You don't know what to say, so you nod and wrap your arms around her. She's warmer than your mother ever was, her hands squeezing at your shoulders the same way Santana's mom does.

There are more photographers outside the hotel, someone clearly having tipped them off. There are more shouts of questions. _When's the wedding? Where's the wedding? Who were you meeting? When's the next album coming out?_ Luckily none of the questions are rude as Santana guides you to the waiting car.

"Are you okay?" She asks as the car pulls into traffic.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am." You nod and smile. "He's going to walk me down the aisle."

"Really?" You nod again, "That's great baby!" You rest your head on her shoulder and let your body relax.

The last few days are a hectic mix of lunches with friends and family with barely enough time for just you and Santana. The next time it's just the two of you is the morning of the wedding.

You hear her trying to wake you up, "Ten more minutes." You mumble into her chest. Your arms wrap a little tighter around her waist.

"We're getting married today." You can hear the smile in her voice.

"We are." You smile and press a small kiss to her chest. You start to get up, but Santana grabs your hand and pulls your body on top of hers.

"You're going to be my wife in a few hours." She kisses you again and again until you start to laugh on top of her

"I won't be your anything if you don't let me get up." You kiss her one more time and then pull away from her and walk to the bathroom. You can hear the bed creaking as she gets up, but you lock the door and hear her chuckle. You do need to shower before your friends pick you up. And if Santana joins you in the shower, who knows how long it'll take.

The water runs down your body and you can't stop smiling. You've been in love with Santana for so long. You knew you wanted to marry her as soon as you realized you were in love with her. And now you get to promise yourself to her in front of the people who matter most in your life. This next step in your life, _your lives_, is big. But you know that there are bigger ones to come. You want to have a family, kids that look like both of you. You start to laugh as you rinse your hair. What is the world going to do with another Santana running around?

You step out of the bathroom and let Santana slip inside while you get dressed. A few minutes later, Marcus and his wife Laura pick you up to take you to the hotel. You pass Rachel and Kurt in the hallway and stop long enough for hugs before they continue to your apartment to pick Santana up.

Laura is a make up artist who eagerly volunteered to do your hair and make up. Her best friend and work partner is helping Santana get ready. You smile as thoughts of Santana come back to you.

"Stop moving your mouth." Laura tells you, but you can tell that she's rolling her eyes. You keep smiling and making it harder for her to do your make up.

"Can't help it." You shrug, but straighten your face so she can keep doing her work.

Marcus leaves the room when its time for you to put your dress on. You take off your bathrobe and set it on the back of the chair and see that Laura is admiring the lingerie you have on. "We need to go shopping together." She laughs.

"You think she'll like it?" You turn and look at yourself in the mirror. The way that the white lace clings to the curves you know Santana loves so much, your tattoos coming into view as you turn.

"If I weren't married and I didn't think your soon to be wife would kill me, I'd totally be hitting on you right now."

You laugh as you step into your dress, "Thanks. I'll take it."

The zipper slides up your back and Laura sighs, "Damn girl. You look perfect."

"Really?"

"Really really." There's a knock at the door, "Come in!"

You're expecting to see Marcus come in, but instead you see Sarah. Laura squeezes your hand and steps out of the room as Sarah moves closer. "Oh Dani, you look beautiful."

"Thank you." You feel shy around her, you're not sure why.

"I know that we just met, and I'm not your mom." She takes a deep breath and you see the tears at the corner of her eyes. "I never had a daughter, just my two boys. But I always dreamed of having a little girl. Now, my mom gave me this when I got married and told me to give it to my daughter when she was ready." You watch as she pulls out a small box with a pair of small blue diamond drop earrings.

"Sarah, I don't –"

"You don't' have to wear them, but I wanted to give you the option."

"You, you would let me wear them?" Your fingers hover over the earrings, they really are beautiful.

She gently cups your cheek and smiles, "I'd really love to be a part of your life, Dani. And I would love to do this for you."

You nod, not trusting your voice. Her hands are gentle as she pushes the stud of the earrings through the plush of your earlobes. She smiles at you as she sits back and looks at you, you surprise her when you wrap your arms around her. "Thank you."

"Let's go get you married." She helps you stand and leads you to the elevator and then to your father.

"Oh, Danielle." He smiles when he sees you and offers his arm.

"Hi dad." You whisper as the music starts. He leads you down the aisle as everyone stands and turns to face you. Once you get to the altar, he kisses your forehead.

"I love you Danielle."

"I love you too, dad."

He moves to his seat and then the music changes. You look up and see Santana next to her dad. You take in how the sunlight makes her hair shine, the way that she glows and smiles as she walks towards you. You can't stop smiling as your future wife walks closer and closer to you. She and her dad stop at the altar and you watch as he kisses her forehead and then moves to kiss yours.

The pastor starts talking, but all you can do is stare and smile at Santana. The road that has brought you here was been bumpy with sudden turns and drops. But you wouldn't trade any of it, it's brought you here, standing in front of the woman you love.

When the pastor tells you it's time for your vows, you smile. "I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. To create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion. Today, I choose you to be your wife. I love you as you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life. I love you Santana."

You see that Santana has tears running down her face, but you know that she's happy. She can't stop smiling and then she tries to kiss you, only stopping when the pastor clears his throat. You chuckle and squeeze her hands, only to gasp when she starts talking.

"I love you Dani. I'm not afraid to love you. I'm not afraid of forever or of what the future will bring because we'll be together. You make me better, happier, stronger. So today I offer all of myself without fear, knowing that you will take me as I am."

You squeeze her hands as she finishes, mouthing _I love you_ as the ceremony continues. Both of you have huge grins as the two of you exchange rings, Santana is still staring at your joined hands when you're told that you may kiss the bride. You slide your right hand up to her cheek and kiss her. Santana gasps a little and then kisses you over and over and over again.

Santana spends most of the reception finding any moment to kiss you. You love kissing her, you're kissing your wife. And you know you're going to spend the rest of your life kissing her.


	32. The I Love You Song

_A/N: Prompt: Dani is pregnant with their second baby and Anthony clings to Santana. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts!_

* * *

You hear the door open from the kitchen and smile when you hear Dani talking to Anthony. Your smile is replaced with a frown when you hear Anthony crying and clearly trying to get away from Dani.

"What's going on?" You wipe your hands on a towel as you round the kitchen counter and see Dani trying to get Anthony's coat off.

"Mama!" He pulls free of Dani and runs behind your legs.

"Hey buddy, what's wrong?" His only response is to cling to your legs as Dani sighs and shrugs her shoulders.

"He's been like that since we left the studio. He usually loves it, I don't understand why he's being like this." Dani puts her bag down and kisses you before making her way to the sofa and sinking down.

"Mama." Anthony whines and you pick him up, even though he's four and getting too big to pick up.

"What is up with you, little man? Why don't you want to be with mommy?"

"She's not mommy." He tells you with such a serious face. You see Dani turn her head to look at the two of you.

"What?"

"She looks different." He mumbles, his face still so serious.

You sigh and put him down, kissing his forehead as you kneel down in front of him. "Why don't you go play before we have dinner?"

"Okay." He shuffles towards his room.

You sit next to Dani, your hand resting over her belly as her hand settles on top of yours. She just popped a few days ago and Anthony has been wary of her since. He knows something is different, but he can't figure out what it is, so he gets frustrated and stresses out.

It had taken a few weeks to harvest your eggs and a few more to inseminate them and implant them in Dani. The pregnancy took immediately, which was hard even though you were elated. The sting of not being able to carry still lingers, though it's dull now.

"What are we going to do?" She sighs as your hand strokes slow circles.

"We should tell him. I know we were going to wait a little longer, but maybe it will help him understand."

"How do you want to tell him?"

"I think we just need to tell him that he's going to have a baby brother or sister in a few months, and that he doesn't need to be afraid."

"He really doesn't like change very much." She sighs and leans her head back on the sofa.

The three of you sit down for dinner, with Anthony still eyeing Dani. "Did you like going to the studio with mommy?" He nods. "Did you learn anything?" He shakes his head.

"Yeah you did baby, remember when Marcus showed you the faders? And how you could make us louder?" Dani tries, and Anthony nods and then looks at you.

You sigh and squeeze Dani's hand. Deciding to try and talk to your son after dinner. When everyone is finished, you shoo Dani to the living room with Anthony while you clear the dishes. You can see that Anthony won't go near her, which must be painful for Dani. When you sit on the sofa, Dani sinks in next to your body.

"Hey Tony, come here buddy." You pat the seat next to you and watch as he puts his toy truck down and sits next to you. "Do you remember when your friend Andy got a little brother a few weeks ago?" Dani's drummer and his wife had another baby, and Anthony was fascinated by the baby being passed around the studio.

"Yeah." His eyes switch between you and Dani while he flexes his fingers, a nervous habit that he picked up from you.

"Well, you're going to have a baby brother or sister in a few months." He doesn't really respond, so you keep going, "That's why mommy's tummy is getting bigger. There's a baby in there."

"In where?" He looks around you and starts staring intently at Dani's small but noticeable bump.

"Come here Tony." Dani tells him softly. He slides off of the sofa and stands in front of her. You watch as Dani gently takes his hands and puts them on the sides of her belly. "In here. Your little brother or sister is growing. And in a few months they'll be big enough to come out."

"There's a baby in your tummy?" You see his hands flex against her, and Dani is quick to smooth her hands over his.

"Yeah. There's a baby growing in there."

He looks up at you and then back at Dani, "That's silly." And then he starts to giggle.

You look at your son, with his little hands cradling Dani's belly and your wife holding his hands. A small part of you pangs with a want that you've buried away, wanting to have his hands holding you as a new life grows inside of you, but you love your family. And you love Dani for taking on the weight of carrying another baby for the two of you. You know she was worried about you for a long time.

When you put Anthony to bed that night, he falls asleep holding both of your hands, his fear of Dani forgotten as he still giggles to himself. You wonder what must be going through his mind, you remember the wonder and fear before he was born.

The two of you get ready for bed and gravitate towards each other as you both slip under the covers. "He was really afraid of you at the studio?" You ask Dani as she rests her head on your chest, pulling one of your hands to rest over her belly.

"Yeah, I think he kept seeing the guys wanting to touch my baby bump, now that it's actually visible. He really did not like that. And then I think he noticed that something was different and it freaked him out."

"Poor little guy." You chuckle, "Getting all protective of his mommy."

"Do you think he's going to like being a big brother?"

"I don't know, I hope so." You tell her.

"Me too." She yawns, "I love you."

"I love you too." You kiss the top of her head and rub slow circles with your thumb over the warm skin of her stomach.


	33. I Have A Love

_A/N: Prompt: Dani's father meets Anthony for the first time. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/propmts. (I know some of you love your angst, but I'm not writing a break up.) The last chapter was short and so is this one, so you get two today!_

* * *

Anthony's been home for a week now and you're still not used to having a baby around. You knew what you and Dani were getting yourselves into (sort of) when you started looking at sperm donors. It wasn't even totally real when she told you she was pregnant. Or when she had morning sickness, or started showing. Hell, even seeing his sonogram pictures didn't make it one hundred percent real. It didn't sink in until you held him. The nurse handing you this wailing, human shaped thing that you fell in love with the moment you saw him.

Now, a week later you still get confused when you wake up to tiny cries in the middle of the night. Sometimes you have to blink a few times to make sure the image in front of you is real. Yes, Dani really is sitting on the sofa watching as he nurses, a soft smile on her face as she cradles him.

You really are a mom. And you're exhausted.

The revolving door of visitors has been pretty non-stop. Rachel and Kurt come by and check in on the two of you, making sure you're actually eating and taking care of yourselves. Often bringing groceries and more laundry detergent and diapers. Your parents flew back home two days ago, fitting in as much time as they could marveling at their grandson and giving you and Dani a chance to sleep for a few hours.

"_We know how to take care of a baby, Santana. You're still here, aren't you?"_

Now it's Dani's father's chance to meet him. He and Sarah flew in this morning and can't wait to meet him. When you hear them at the door, you check to see if Dani is ready for more visitors. You help her put her shirt back on before making your way to the front door.

"Hey Greg, hi Sarah." You greet them in a quiet voice.

"Hi Santana." Greg pulls you in for a hug before stepping into the apartment, Sarah hugging you right after.

"How are you two doing?" Sarah squeezes your shoulders; of course she can see how tired you are. But you're pretty sure they can both see the tired smile you've been sporting since he was born.

"Good, we're all good. Just tired." You shrug and lead them to the living room.

"Newborns will do that." She chuckles.

When you come into the living room, Dani slowly stands and walks up to her dad. "This is Anthony." She smiles down at his sleeping face and then up to her father.

"Oh Danielle, he's beautiful." He presses his hand to his heart and let's Dani slowly pass him into his arms. "Hi Anthony, I'm your grandpa."

You watch as he slowly circles the room, talking quietly to the baby in his arms. Sarah hugs Dani, congratulating her as they sit down on the sofa together. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but good. We couldn't be happier." She smiles at you, knowing that you've got an eye on Greg. You can't help it.

The three of you sit on the sofa, Sarah telling you how she remembers being a new mom and even giving you some helpful pointers. Your mom had talked about you when you were born, but the circumstances were so different. You know both of you consider yourselves very lucky that Anthony was born perfectly healthy.

You watch as Greg passes Anthony to Sarah with ease, choosing to watch him as his wife holds the newest addition to the family. "He looks just like you when you were born. Same dimples and dark curly hair." He wipes under his eyes and then runs a gentle finger down his face, his finger touching on the dimple in his chin.

"Do you want to give it to them now?" Sarah whispers.

"Sure, be right back ladies." He stands and walks back to the entryway where he dropped a few bags. When he returns, he has a worn yellow and blue blanket. "This, this used to be yours." He hands the blanket to Dani and you watch as she runs her fingers over the soft fabric. "I took it when I left, well, I took it with me."

"Dad." Dani whispers and you see the tears in her eyes. You kiss the corner of her eye and smile at him.

"I know it's a little worn, but you loved being wrapped in this. And I thought he might too."

Dani nods and stands to hug her dad. You see the way he wraps his arms around her, and you can picture him holding her as a baby. You're starting to see that it's a touch that doesn't go away. You saw it in the way your own parents held Anthony.

When Anthony starts to fuss again, you take him from Sarah and cradle him to you. He stops fussing and settles into your warmth. It seems like he already knows who you are; he did spend months listening to your muffled voice talking to him. But he already recognizes you as a safe pair of arms.

"Smart little guy you've got there." Sarah smiles and Dani pulls away from Greg to stand next to you.

"He knows who his mama is." She leans over you to kiss his head. She picks up the blanket and wraps it around him, moving around your arms so he's bundled in the worn blanket that used to cover his mom.


	34. On An Ordinary Sunday

_A/N: This is unprompted and was floating around my head. I'm not a doctor and all I have is the internet. I know this may seem choppy, but it is covering a longer period of time from one person's perspective. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! (Which I will get back to now that this is out of my head!) So updates are going to be a little slower because I start rehearsals this week. But I will still be writing, I promise!_

* * *

Santana comes home with Tony and Aaron after an afternoon at the park. You hear the boys shouting over each other as Santana tries to get them to take their shoes off. "Hey hey hey! Listen to mama! Tony, help your brother."

"Aaron, stop kicking me!" Anthony sits in front of his brother to help him untie his shoes.

"Hey baby." Santana kisses your cheek as she makes her way to the kitchen. "How was the interview?"

"It was fine." You wave your hand. Santana had agreed to take the boys out so you could do your interview for a new magazine in peace. You love your boys, but they don't have a whole lot of volume control. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Of course." She sits at the kitchen table with a glass of water. You grab the pamphlets from the counter and set them in front of her and watch her. She clears her throat and takes a deep breath, "We were talking about kids at work, and one of the casting directors from another agency asked me if I carried. I told her I couldn't and she told me about this place that she went to." You watch as Santana shifts the pamphlets around a few times.

"Did you go?" You cover her hand as it flexes on the table.

"I made it as far as the lobby. I took these and then I left." She laughs, but she breathes through it like she does when she's nervous.

"Do you want to go talk to them?" You know that she's happy with your family. Aaron looks so much like her and has the personality to match. But you know that she still wants to have a baby, even though she still doesn't talk about it. She doesn't trust her voice, so she nods. "Okay, we'll make an appointment."

"Mama!" Aaron comes toddling into the kitchen demanding that Santana picks him up.

"Mommy!" Anthony comes running into the kitchen after his brother, "He won't share the crayons." He stops in front of Santana, pointing his finger at his brother while he faces you.

Santana sighs, "Aaron, you have to share with your brother."

"No."

"Aaron." Santana says again, a little more stern.

"Noooo." He whines in her lap.

"Tony, why don't you go wash up and set the table and I'll order some food."

"But what about the colors?" Anthony whines.

"You can color later." You tell him and laugh as he rolls his eyes in a way you know he's picked up from Santana.

"I gotta stop doing that." Santana mumbles to herself.

"Yeah you do." You stand and kiss the top of her head, "Thai or pizza?"

"Pizza!" Aaron yells from Santana's lap.

"You heard the man. Go help your brother." Santana lets Aaron slide off her lap and pats his butt to get him moving. He tries to roll his eyes in the same way he's seen his brother do, but he's only two and doesn't quite have it down yet.

"You really need to stop doing that." You laugh. You live in a house of eye rollers, despite your trying to get them all to stop. "Maybe I should start charging every time you do that."

"Tell that to them." Santana snorts, all of her nerves from before gone.

You order pizza and eat with your family, laughing as Aaron tries to lift a large piece and ends up wearing it. And then Anthony tries to help him and ends up wearing the same piece as Aaron hands him the slice. You and Santana watch, trying to not laugh and encourage the two of them. Moments like these are the ones where you fall in love with your family a little bit more.

They're the reason your thank you speeches are long and teary, why your interviews are mostly about family and not about your work anymore. You used to love talking about your music, you still do, but you love bragging about the family that you've built. Tony and Aaron are perfect, loud and messy, but perfect. You watch Santana as she laughs and tries to wipe Aaron's face. She's the best mom and the best wife.

You want her to have everything; you're hoping that the fertility clinic you called after you ordered dinner will be able to help.

Once the boys are in bed, you and Santana sink into the sofa with glasses of wine. You both take in the quiet that only settles when they go to sleep. You rest your hand over Santana's flat stomach and feel her body tense. "Can you try to promise me something?"

"Yeah, of course." She breathes.

"I know how much you want this, and that it's hard. But you can't disappear into your head again if things don't go our way." You feel her nod against you, "I can't lose you and neither can the boys. I love you, and I will be there with you no matter what."

"I love you too."

The two of you go to the clinic two weeks later. Rachel had agreed to watch Aaron while Tony is at kindergarten. Santana grips your hand as you wait in the office. You watch as she tries to not flex her free hand on her leg when the doctor walks in.

"Good morning ladies, now Santana we looked at your charts and I think we might be able to help you. But I want to make it very clear that nothing is a hundred percent sure, we do the best we can, but we can't work miracles."

"I understand." Santana nods.

"We're going to start you on a series of hormone injections for a few weeks and then we'll try the insemination. You already have a donor, correct?"

"Yeah, yes. We'd like to use the same donor we used for our boys." Santana smiles at you.

"Great. We'll set you up with the hormones, and one of our nurses will talk you through how to do them. And we'll see you in two weeks."

"Thank you."

When the two of you get home, you do the first injection. Kissing her stomach before and after. It becomes a ritual for the next two weeks. Every night you kiss the soft skin of her stomach before injecting the hormones into her body and then kissing her again after. Your lips lingering as you pour as much love into each kiss.

Santana hates the injections. They make her nauseous and incredibly moody. But she knows that this is something she wants, something that both of you want. One of the other side effects is that also cries all the time. For no reason at all. The boys sense that something is up and cuddle up to her more than usual.

When the two weeks are up, you and Santana head back to the clinic. You grip her hand through the procedure and pray to every deity out there for this to work.

It works.

You come home a week and a half later from the studio to the boys playing in the living room and the sound of Santana throwing up in the bathroom. "Santana? Babe, are you okay?" You kneel next to her and run your hand up and down her back.

"I feel awful." She groans and retches again.

"Did you eat something bad?"

"Please don't talk about food."

You don't want to get your hopes up, but you still suggest, "Did you take a pregnancy test?"

"They said to wait two weeks." She sits back again and you reach up to flush the toilet.

"Do your boobs hurt?" She shifts her shoulders and nods, "Take the test." You find the test they had given you at the clinic and hand it to her. "I'm going to make sure the boys are alright, I'll be back in a few minutes." You kiss her forehead and walk back to the living room. You know the boys are fine, but you make them a snack anyway just to calm your nerves. You really want your wife to be pregnant.

You give her a few minutes before walking back to the bedroom. She's sitting on the edge of your bed eyeing the test on the other side of the room. You hear her timer go off and look at her. "How about we look at it together?"

"Okay." You take her hand and walk to the dresser.

"I love you no matter what, okay?"

"I love you too." You both take a breath and look at it, "Oh my god!"

"You're pregnant!" You shout and kiss her.

"I'm pregnant." She breathes and smiles, her hands resting on her still flat stomach. You notice that she's crying, and that you're crying. This isn't something either of you thought was possible. "I'm pregnant." She breathes again and kisses you.

When the two of you walk back into the living room, Anthony looks up, "Are you feeling better mama?"

"Mama sick." Aaron looks up from his stuffed bear to look at Santana with a concerned face.

"Mama's fine." Santana tells them and sits on the sofa. You can tell that she's feeling dizzy and probably pretty awful. But for now, the elation is overshadowing everything else. You hear a timer go off in the kitchen, "That's dinner." Santana tells you.

"You sit, I'll get dinner served up." You tell her as she tries to get up. "Boys, go wash up." You watch as Anthony helps Aaron up and leads him to the bathroom. When you look back at Santana, she has her hands pressed to her stomach as she stares and has tears running down her face. You remember a similar picture three years ago and have to take a breath to realize that this time they're tears of joy. You can't stop smiling.

The two of you fall asleep wrapped around each other with both of your hands cradling a not yet there bump. It's how you'll fall asleep for the next few months, holding Santana and the baby as the three of you sleep.

Santana has an appointment at the clinic for a follow up and an internal sonogram to make sure she's actually pregnant. There's no doubt in your mind that she is, mostly because she can't stop throwing up. Aaron keeps bringing her tiny bathroom cups of water to make her feel better and Anthony watches the two of you with curious eyes, you think he might know what's going on. He remembers you being pregnant with Aaron and how Santana would busy herself around you to make sure you were comfortable, now you know why she did it. You feel like you're not doing enough, even though you're doing everything you can.

You come home from the clinic and smile as you watch Santana run her fingers over the sonogram picture. There isn't much, but that little flicker on the screen is a miracle, there's no doubt about it. The two of you sit on the sofa, absorbing the quiet and letting the reality sink in. Santana breaks the silence and you can hear the fear in her voice, "What if, what if I –"

"Don't." You kiss her, you don't want her to be afraid to live her life while she's pregnant. "Don't think like that, okay? We'll take everything one day a time."

She nods and pulls your hand to rest on her stomach, "Okay." She breathes with you and you feel her relax. You think she might be asleep but she asks you quietly, "When should we talk to the boys?"

You think back to telling Anthony when you were pregnant with Aaron and how he hadn't really understood until much later in your pregnancy. "I think we should wait until you're showing. Remember when Tony thought we were ridiculous?" Santana laughs and sighs as your hand works under her shirt to rest against warm skin.

It gets harder and harder to not tell people, especially Rachel and Kurt who are so present in your lives and the lives of your boys. Santana keeps telling them that she's on a health kick and is not drinking for a number of bullshit reasons you know they can see right through. But they're smart enough to not ask. They were pretty devastated when you told them that Santana couldn't have a baby a few years ago.

_Tony had just been put to bed in the middle of a small dinner party. He had started to fuss so you put him to bed while Santana held court from her end of the table. When you came back everyone was quiet and Santana was nowhere to be found._

"_Where's Santana?"_

"_She went outside." Rachel tells you and looks a little stunned._

"_What happened?" It's not like her to just leave in the middle of a party._

"_I asked her when she was going to get pregnant and give us another perfect baby to fawn over."_

_Oh. The test results, while several weeks old are still fresh wounds. You sigh and take a deep breath, you are with your closest friends. "She can't."_

_"She can't what?" Kurt asks over his glass of wine, his date shrugging._

_You watch as realization hits Rachel, "Oh."_

"_What am I missing?" Kurt looks at you and Rachel and then to Rachel's boyfriend who shakes his head subtly, trying to get Kurt to drop it._

"_Kurt, she can't have kids." Rachel tells him quietly and he stares at you with a pity that you hate and you know Santana hates._

_Dinner is much quieter when Santana comes back inside with red rimmed eyes that won't meet anyone's gaze._

They let you lie to them, knowing that this is a huge deal. They take the boys out for the day when Santana has a doctor's appointment without asking any questions. They don't ask why she gets sick all the time and both of them stop wearing perfume and cologne when they know they'll be around her. They totally know, but they wait until you and Santana tell them to get excited.

The twelve week appointment tells you that the baby is small but healthy. You watch as Santana relaxes her body knowing that she's out of the big risk part of her pregnancy, smiling at you as you watch the image on the sonogram again and again. When you leave the office, there are a few photographers shouting questions about health and rumors that are so ridiculous that you both start to laugh. Your favorite is that one of you is getting a sex change but none of the tabloids can agree on whom. You're actually surprised no one has picked up on Santana being pregnant, she's already showing a little and is doing a terrible job of hiding it.

When you get home the first thing you do is put the profile sonogram on the fridge next to Anthony's family drawing and Aaron's finger painting project from the weekend. "We should tell people, right?" She's looking down at her small baby bump while her hands are cradling it. "I mean, this is when we started telling people when you were pregnant."

You walk over to her and rest your hands next to hers, "What do you want to do? This is your pregnancy, and as soon as we tell people there are going to be more photographers following you." You cup her face with your left hand and run your thumb over her cheekbone.

"I want to tell our parents."

You nod, "Okay, we can do that."

"And Rachel and Kurt so they can stop pretending to not know." She laughs and shakes her head as you start to laugh with her.

"What about the boys?"

"I think Tony knows something's up. Maybe we can tell him, but I don't know if Aaron will understand yet. It seems like too far away and he's going to ask why it won't be here tomorrow." She looks down and smiles at the way your hand rests on the curve of her belly.

"Okay. Tony now, Aaron in a few weeks." You nod and pull her face up and closer to yours so you can kiss her. She wraps her arms around you and you feel her belly press into yours.

Rachel and her boyfriend bring the boys back after dinner and sit on the sofa with the two of you while Anthony helps Aaron get ready for bed. Santana leans into you while your hand rests on her belly, making slow circles with your thumb. It's fun to watch Rachel actively not look, especially since Santana changed into sweats and tank top that's almost too small now.

"So we have some news." Santana sits up a little and looks at Rachel who is already trying to not cry or smile.

"Oh?" It's amazing how bad of a liar she is for someone who makes her living as an actor.

"You can finally stop pretending to not know that I'm pregnant." Santana smiles and Rachel pretty much launches herself off of the loveseat to wrap her arms around Santana.

"Oh my god." Rachel has her head in Santana's lap and is quick to press her hand to her belly. "You're really pregnant!"

"Yeah, I am." Santana breathes.

"I was so afraid to say anything. I didn't want to jinx anything." You can hear that Rachel is crying. "And now you're going to have a baby and your family is perfect and I love you both and I love Tony and Aaron and whoever this one is going to be."

Santana wraps her arms around Rachel's shoulders and holds her close. "We love you too, all of us." Rachel grabs Santana's cheeks and kisses her before moving over and kissing you too.

"I can't wait to meet this one." She laughs and wipes under her eyes and hugs Santana again. You remember the heartbreak written on her face when she found out.

After they leave you both put Aaron to bed and bring Anthony into the living room and sit him between the two of you. He eyes Santana's hand that's resting on her belly and looks up at you. "Your mama and I have something we need to talk to you about." You smile, hoping he won't think he's in trouble.

"Is mama having a baby?" He looks up at you and then eyes Santana's hand over her stomach again.

"Yeah Tony, mama's going to have a baby." You smile as you run your fingers through his dark hair.

"Is this one going to kick me too?" He sighs like he's taking on the world by being a big brother to another baby.

"I hope not," Santana chuckles. "And you know you can tell us when he does that." Santana lifts his chin to look up at her.

"I know." He shrugs. "Can I feel it?" He puts his hands on the sides of Santana's belly just like he did to you and Santana gasps.

"You can't feel it just yet, but soon." She presses her hands lightly over his and laughs out a sob when Anthony presses a kiss to her belly.

"Hi baby. I'm Tony. Please don't kick me when you get here." He kisses her again and lets himself be pulled into Santana's lap so she can hug him close to her.

"I love you." She kisses his head and tries to smooth down a cowlick.

"I love you too mama."

Anthony becomes very attentive to Santana and does his best to help around the house with anything he can. He becomes even more patient with Aaron and tries to teach him how to be a big brother even though he doesn't understand what's going on.

The two of your skype with Santana's parents as you send them the video file of her sonogram. You watch as realization hits them and they both start to cry and ask millions of questions. _Are you healthy? Is the baby healthy? How are you feeling? Are you eating enough?_ Santana smiles as she answers each question.

Your dad and Sarah congratulate the two of you and make sure that she's healthy and that you're doing everything you can to keep her happy. You assure them that you are.

People slowly start to find out that the two of you are expecting again. Santana takes it in stride, using the press to talk about your next album and the show that she just cast. She never tells them anything other than she's doing well and the baby is just fine.

You love the shape of her body as she pops and grows. Her skin glows and she can't stop smiling, even when the baby kicks enough in the middle of the night to keep her awake. You've taken to sliding down her body and singing gently as your hands stroke wherever you feel nudges until the baby calms and Santana falls back asleep. It was an image you never thought you'd get to see, one that you'd tucked away so long ago. And now you get to hold your pregnant wife as she sleeps.

The sonogram at eighteen weeks is when you finally find out that Santana's having a girl. You're having a baby girl. The two of you laugh and cry as you stare at the image on the screen. "We're having a girl!" You kiss Santana's face and let your hand rest on her belly, not caring that it's covered in gel. The two of you spend the next few hours going over names, even though you still have a while before you need to name her.

Santana decides to leave the nursery as it is. The calm green was perfect for the boys and will be perfect for your little girl. The only changes are the added photos of your family and the ever growing closet of tiny dresses. More often than not, you find Santana sitting in the rocking chair singing softly to herself as she runs her hands over her belly. One afternoon you manage to snap a few photos and send them to her mom right after making it your lock screen picture. Every time you look at it, you're reminded of how lucky you are to have this amazing woman in your life.

When Santana is seven months pregnant the four of you are having breakfast on a Sunday morning when she excuses herself to the bathroom. She's been having crazy indigestion the last few weeks and the baby has been kicking up a storm for the last few hours. You watch as Anthony and Aaron eat pancakes in their pajamas, their hair sticking out in so many places.

"Mommy, can we go to the zoo?" Anthony looks up at you and Aaron gives you the same big pout that Santana gives you when she wants something.

"Only if mama is feeling up to it, okay?"

"Okay." Anthony sighs, but you know he's thinking of ways to guilt Santana into going.

"Dani!" You hear Santana's voice from your bedroom and she sounds panicked.

"Watch your brother." You tell Anthony as you run to your bedroom. "Santana?" You hear a choked sob from the bathroom and find her bracing herself on the counter. "Santana? What's wrong?" And then you see the blood running down her leg.

"Dani, I –"

You help her to sit on the floor, "It's okay. You're going to be okay." You run into the bedroom and grab the phone off of the dresser and dial 911 as you kneel next to Santana. "I need an ambulance. My wife is seven months pregnant and she's bleeding." You stop talking as Santana braces herself for what must be a cramp, "She's cramping too."

"Dani," she gasps out as she starts crying again. "I'm scared."

"It's okay. It's going to be okay." You don't know that. But you have to keep saying it. Right now you need to be strong. You hold Santana as she cries and gasps through the pain and whispers _it's too soon_ over and over again. You call Rachel and ask her to get to your apartment as soon as she can. She can hear the panic in your voice and doesn't ask any questions.

"Mama?" You turn around and find Anthony holding Aaron's hand as they both stare at the two of you on the ground.

"Anthony, I need you to go unlock the front door. Can you do that for me?" He nods and pulls Aaron with him.

You hear the paramedics come into the apartment a few minutes later and come back to where the two of you are. They strap Santana onto a backboard and lead her out of your bedroom just as Rachel steps into the front room.

"Rachel, I need you to watch the boys." You run to catch up to Santana and take her hand.

"Okay. Call me, okay?" The last thing you see in the apartment is Rachel kneeling to put her arms around your sons.

You grip Santana's hand as you ride the elevator down and out to the waiting ambulance. You barely register the photographers around you as they load Santana into the back and an EMT helps you climb in after her. Santana starts to hyperventilate as her cramps get worse and passes out a few minutes before getting to the hospital. You start to panic as her eyes roll into the back of her head and her hand goes limp in yours. "Santana!"

The doors to the ambulance open and you jump out and get out of the way so they can get Santana out. They lead her away as the EMT tells the waiting doctor what's going on. But it sounds like gibberish to you, nothing around you is registering except that they've just led your wife away from you. A nurse comes out and leads you inside to sit down and wait. And you wait and wait and wait. It feels like you're underwater, everyone is moving around you but you don't feel anything until your phone buzzes in your hand. You don't even remember grabbing it.

"Hello?" Your voice is raspy and your face feels tight from the constant flow of tears.

"Dani? What's going on? Is there any news?" It takes a moment for you to realize that Rachel is on the other line.

"No. Not yet."

"It's going to be okay." She tells you.

"I don't know Rachel," you gasp and wrap your free arm around yourself. "She passed out in the ambulance and no one has told me anything. I can't do any of this without her."

"Dani, you have to breathe." She takes some deep breaths and waits for you to match them. "It's okay. You have to wait until they come talk to you, okay?"

"Okay."

"Call me as soon as you hear something, okay?"

"Okay."

You hang up and see a doctor walking towards you. "Mrs. Harper-Lopez?"

"Yeah." You stand and stutter. "Is she okay? Is the baby okay?"

"We had to perform an emergency C-section and your daughter is in the NICU. She's having trouble breathing on her own so we have her hooked up to a machine that is helping her."

You nod as you realize that you have a daughter now, you have a daughter that you haven't seen yet. "And my wife?"

"She suffered a large placental abruption that they're still working on." He tells you and lets the information sink in. "I can take you to see your daughter."

You nod, not trusting your voice as you follow him into an elevator and through some halls. He helps you into a gown and takes you to an incubator where your daughter is sleeping. She's so small, her chart saying that she weighs just under four pounds. "Hi baby girl, I'm your mommy." You choke out a sob as you watch her little chest rise and fall in time with the ventilator. You don't know how long you stand there with your hands pressed to the plastic as you cry.

At some point a nurse comes in to find you and takes you to see Santana, "She won't be awake for another hour or so. But she made it through the surgery just fine."

"Do you know what caused this?"

"They don't. Sometimes these things just happen, you were smart to get her here so quickly. It saved their lives." She opens the door to a private room and you are quick to sit in the chair next to Santana's bed. She looks small and pale as she breathes gently. "Hi baby." You lean forward and kiss her forehead and then take her hand. "They delivered the baby. She's so small but she's so beautiful. She can't wait to meet you." You kiss her hand and are so happy for the warmth that radiates from it. You don't know what you'd do if you'd lost her. The phone buzzing makes you jump and you realize that you were supposed to call Rachel, "Hey Rachel." You say quietly.

"Hey, any news?" You can hear the TV on in the background.

"They delivered the baby and she's in the NICU. They uh, they have her hooked up to a ventilator to help her breathe."

"But the baby's okay?"

"Yeah, I think so. She's so small, Rachel. But she looks just like Santana." You start crying again, you want to hold your little girl so badly. But you need for Santana to wake up and see her first.

"How is Santana?" You can hear the fear in her voice, Santana's her best friend.

"She's not up yet. But I'm with her now. How are my boys?"

"A little scared. They keep asking where you guys are."

"I'll call you when Santana's up to see if she's up to visitors."

"Okay, I love you guys."

"We love you too Rachel."

Santana wakes up half an hour later, she's groggy as her eyes flutter open. "Dani?"

"Hey baby. I'm right here." You lean forward and run your fingers down her face.

"What happened?" She looks down at her body and you can tell that she's

starting to panic, "Where's the baby?"

"She's okay. She's in the NICU. They had to do an emergency C-section but she's going to be okay."

"It's too soon, she still had two months." She's still breathing hard and a nurse comes into the room.

"Looks like someone is awake," the nurse is smiling even though Santana is panicking. "Here, you need to stay hydrated." She pours a cup of water and helps Santana drink it, as she does she starts to calm her breathing. She checks Santana's stitches and IV drip before bringing in a wheelchair. "I thought you might like to see the beautiful little girl who's been waiting for you."

"I can see her?" Santana grips your hand as her eyes flit between you and the nurse.

"Absolutely." She smiles and helps Santana into the wheelchair and starts wheeling her down to where your baby girl is.

You watch as Santana slowly stands with your arm around her so she can reach a hand into the incubator to rest her hand at the top of the baby's head. Santana starts to cry and you kiss her shoulder. "She's so small."

"She'll get stronger, she's just like you Santana."

The nurse takes Santana back to her room so she can rest, she falls asleep almost immediately after telling you to go spend time with the baby. "I don't want her to be alone."

You spend the next two hours running your fingers over her tiny features. The more you stare at her, the more you see Santana in her. They share the same tiny ears and pouty lips. When you get back to Santana's room, she's on the phone with who you guess is her mom. "I'm okay and the baby is okay. I know, I'm sorry we didn't call you earlier, it all happened really fast. I will. I love you too mom."

"Everything okay?" You kiss her gently and take your seat next to her.

"They called my cell phone and Tony picked it up and told them we weren't home and handed the phone to Rachel."

"Speaking of, when do you want to see the boys?"

"Soon. But I don't want them to see her until she's a little stronger."

"Okay. How about Rachel brings them by tomorrow?"

She nods and closes her eyes while you call Rachel to tell her about the plans and ask her to bring you both a change of clothes.

"You should go home and sleep." Santana tells you a few minutes later.

"Not a chance. You're here and our baby girl is here. The boys will be fine with Rachel." You push some of her hair away from her face and kiss her.

"She needs a name." Santana tells you as you sit back down.

"I was looking up some names while you were sleeping, she needs something that means strength. She's going to need it with two brothers." You know she knows that she's going to have to struggle for a while now. She can't breathe on her own, but she has the same strength that Santana has. You know it.

"And did you find something?"

"Nina. Nina Harper-Lopez." Now that you say it out loud it feels right.

"Nina," Santana smiles as she says it. "Nina. It fits. Nina Harper-Lopez."

Rachel comes by in the morning with fresh clothes and coffee for you. Tony and Aaron stare at Santana in the bed with wide eyes, the last time they saw her she was on the floor, bleeding and crying. "Hi guys, I missed you." She smiles and tries to ease the tension you know she can feel.

You help them climb onto the bed to snuggle into Santana's sides, "Careful boys, mama's hurting." Neither one of them says anything as Santana wraps her arms around them and pulls them close.

"Where's the baby?" Rachel asks quietly.

"Nina," you smile again as you say her name. You and Santana couldn't stop as soon as you decided. And you couldn't stop saying it to her when you went back to the NICU to see her again.

"Nina?" Rachel smiles wide as you nod. "Can I see her? Is that okay?"

You look at Santana and she nods that she'll be fine with the boys while you take Rachel to see your newest addition. "She's on a ventilator right now, but she's so beautiful."

As soon as Rachel sees her, she starts to cry. It's the same reaction she's had for each of your children. "Oh Dani, she's amazing." She pulls you in for a tight hug before reaching into the incubator to hold her tiny hand. "Hi Nina, I'm your Aunt Rachel." You watch as Rachel marvels at how small Nina is and at how happy she is to meet her. "I've been so excited about you, not as excited as your moms, but still excited. And I know this is sooner that expected, but I'm so happy you're here."

They take the ventilator out when she's three days old, perfect timing for Santana's parents to fly in. The come into the room quietly while Santana's nursing her for the first time. You didn't think you could love either of them any more than you already do, but the sight of Santana cradling Nina close to her while she eats is one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen.

Santana's mom sits on the edge of the bed while her dad sits in the chair that you've been living in. "Oh Santana, she's perfect." She runs a finger down Nina's cheek as she eats, "She looks just like you did when you were born."

Nina falls asleep against Santana's breast, just like Tony and Aaron did to you when they were nursing. You watch as Santana hands Nina to her mom while she pulls the gown back up over her shoulder for you to tie. Both of her parents marvel at every detail on her face as she sleeps.

Rachel and Kurt come by a few hours later with the boys so they can meet their new sister. They both sit on the edge of the bed and stare as Nina sleeps in Santana's arms. Anthony remembers meeting Aaron and knows to be gentle and quiet around her, but Aaron is very confused.

"What is it?" He looks at you as he points to Nina.

"That's your baby sister. She's going to come home with us soon and she'll grow up with you and Tony."

"But, what is _it?_" He's getting frustrated because you don't understand his confusion.

"She's a baby girl." Anthony tells him.

"Why is it so little?" He leans forward and giggles when she yawns. "And why doesn't it have teeth?"

"She'll get bigger." Santana tells him.

"Okay." He loses interest pretty quickly, choosing to sit on his grandpa's lap and play with his watch instead.

You watch as Anthony scoots closer and stares at her. "Do you want to hold her?" Santana asks him and smiles when he nods. "You have to be very careful, okay?"

"Okay mama." Santana hands Nina to her brother, cradling her body as she helps Anthony hold her. "Hi Nina, I'm Tony. I'll take good care of you."

Everyone laughs quietly as they watch your not so little family. You go home that night for the first time and fall asleep in your bed with Tony and Aaron next to you. It makes the bed feel a lot less lonely without Santana there to wrap your arms around.

Santana and Nina come home two weeks later on a Sunday morning. Home finally feels like home again as the boys try to quietly run around and play while Santana sinks into the sofa, cradling Nina to her. You start to cry when you hear Nina's tiny pinched and fussy cries for the first time at home. It makes everything feel right. You help Santana adjust her shirt and unsnap her bra before sitting behind her and letting her body rest against you as she brings Nina to her breast. The two of you sat like this while Aaron was nursing, you wanted Santana to feel closer to you while you nursed him. You rest your chin on her shoulder and look down as you bring your hands up to hold Santana as she holds Nina.

"I love you." You whisper to her and kiss under her ear.

"I love you too."


	35. Not While I'm Around

_A/N: Prompt: Rachel walks in on Dani and Santana. Thanks again for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! Updates will still be happening, just not as frequently as before. You can blame my awesome new job._

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Stairs are the worst. Correction, stairs and snow are the worst. Your ankle is killing you as you limp back to the loft. Had Kurt not taken so long in the shower you would have left on time and not rushed down the stairs. Now you're on the phone calling the diner to tell them that you can't come in. You were really looking forward to spending your shift staring at Dani's ass. Damn.

It takes you a while but you finally make it up to the loft. As soon as the door is closed you start pulling your uniform off and flop onto your bed to pull off your boots. Your ankle doesn't look too bad, maybe a little puffy, but it does hurt as you limp to the kitchen to grab an ice pack. You opt for your bed instead of the sofa. That way you can fall asleep on something that won't leave you with a kink in your neck.

You fall asleep in the middle of some movie on Netflix and wake up to soft hands replacing the ice pack that had fallen off at some point during your nap.

"Dani?" You rub at your eyes and curse when you remember that you had make up on.

"Hey babe, how are you feeling?" She wipes a smudge from under your eye away as you blink a few times.

"My foot hurts." You lean into her hand, "Wait, what are you doing here?"

She chuckles and kisses the apple of your cheek, "Gunther said you twisted your ankle and I got someone else to cover the rest of my shift."

"You blew off work to come take care of me?" You love your girlfriend.

"Not really. You have Netflix and a full fridge." She shrugs but you can see the corner of mouth twitch as she tries not to smile.

"Bitch." There's no bite in your voice as you pull her closer to rest your head in her lap.

"You love me." You hum as she runs her fingers through your hair, "What are you watching?"

"Some movie about some people."

She snorts, "Helpful."

The two of you fall into an easy silence as the movie on your laptop keeps playing. You stopped paying attention to the movie about ten minutes after Dani started scratching your scalp with her nails. It feels amazing and it's helping you forget the throb in your left ankle. You turn your head and start kissing Dani's neck as your hand sneaks under her shirt. Her skin is warm as you start to push her shirt up and she chuckles as she sits up to pull it over her head.

"I thought you weren't feeling well." She stands and pulls off the sweats that she'd changed into.

"I feel fine, my foot is the one that hurts." You shrug and lick your lips as she crawls back onto your bed to straddle you.

"Then I should probably do something to make you feel better, since you're hurting and all."

You rest your hands on her hips as she bends to kiss you, her lips trailing down your neck until she reaches the top of your tank top. "That would be nice." You breathe as she pushes your shirt over your head and smiles at your lack of a bra. You moan when she cups your breasts and squeezes lightly.

"God I love your tits." She squeezes again before taking a nipple into her mouth and sucking. She moans against you when you buck your hips and kisses across your chest to suck your other nipple into her mouth. "So sexy."

"For the love of god take my pants off." You beg and she chuckles as she sits up and pulls your pants and panties down your legs.

"So impatient." She kisses the inside of your leg, teasing you by kissing the crease of your thigh. She laughs again, low in her throat as she pulls her own underwear off. She lies on top of you and kisses you again. You love the way her body feels against yours.

You bury your hands in her hair as her hands run down your body. She's careful with you, making sure your foot stays on top of the pillow. You really do love this girl. Dani's mouth is hot and her tongue is soft as it pushes against yours. Sex with Dani is great, you love when it's rushed and heated but you also love it like this; slow and soft as she takes care of you. She takes her time as she kisses you and runs her hands over your body. Pinching and pulling at your nipples and squeezing your ass as she moves her hips against yours.

She breathes and moans against your skin as your hands move down her back and up her sides. Your thumbs brushing against already hard nipples that press into yours. When she moves her hand between the two of you, you hook your right leg over her hip to give her more room.

"You're so wet baby." She kisses you a little harder as her fingers slip through you and slide so easily inside. "So tight." You both moan as her fingers fill you, pumping in and out slowly while you rock against her.

You moan again a little louder when she brushes her thumb in light circles around your clit as her lips find your nipple. "Oh Dani." Your moans are low as her rhythm continues. _In, out, suck, circle._ Again and again and again.

"Oh my god you're naked!" You hear Rachel scream and watch her get tangled in the curtains that surround your bedroom.

"Rachel get the fuck out!" You shout, "Oh god don't stop." You tell Dani as her fingers pick up the pace.

Your orgasm surprises you, probably a mix of Dani and being caught in the middle of having sex. Dani works you through it, chuckling as she rests on top of you and turns to see that a part of your curtain is ripped.

"I'm going to kill her." You breathe.

"She's never going to look us in the eye again." Dani laughs again. (It'll take her about two weeks.)

The two of you emerge from your room a few minutes later, Dani telling you that traumatizing Rachel once is enough for today as she helped you get dressed. Rachel is standing at the kitchen counter pouring herself a large glass of wine. When she hears you, she looks over her shoulder in what might be considered your direction. "Do you two ever stop?"

"It's not my fault you can't tell what moaning sounds like." You sit at the table while Dani find you some painkillers in the bathroom.

"Kurt sent me a text saying you got hurt. I thought you were injured." She flails her free hand in the air, still not looking at you.

"Sex moaning and pain moaning are not the same."

"God, you would think I know that by now. What with the way you two go at it." She sighs as she walks towards her own room. She walks by Dani and almost runs into a wall.

"Well, now you have a visual reference." You tell her as Dani hands you some advil.

"I hate you." Rachel shouts from her room.

"You love me and my super sexy girlfriend."

"I hate you both." She shouts back. And then a little quieter, "Please don't have sex right now. I'm not drunk enough."


	36. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

_A/N: Prompt: Anthony's first Christmas. (I got carried away.) Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Happy Day Off. This was supposed to be posted earlier, but FF was not working._

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The tree is huge and perfectly placed by the large windows, there are wrapped gifts under the tree and colored lights strung around the apartment. Santana really outdid herself this year. But you know she wanted Anthony's first Christmas to be special, even though you both know he won't remember it. You watch as Santana dims the lights in the living room and walks over to the fireplace to add another log. Anthony is sitting in your lap, watching his mama with wide eyes as she moves around.

Santana sinks into the sofa next to you and kisses your cheek and then the top of Anthony's head. "Now it looks like Christmas in here."

"Its looked like Christmas in here since the first week of December." You laugh and bounce Anthony on your knee.

"I can't help it. It's our first one as a family." She shrugs and smiles as Anthony reaches up and pulls on the beaded necklace that Santana is wearing.

"I'm starting to think that was more his gift than yours." You chuckle as he pulls the beads into his mouth and smiles.

"I think I can handle sharing." She kisses you again and you're reminded of how much you love your wife and your son. Sitting on your sofa with your little family, you realize just how far the two of you have come.

Anthony shouts and smiles as he leans towards Santana, she takes him into her lap with practiced ease and stands him up on wobbly legs. "Merry Christmas little man."

"Should we let him open one before he starts to get fussy?" You ask, even though it really isn't a question. You're already on your feet and sorting through some of his gifts. You and Santana have had a tradition of opening one gift on Christmas Eve before going to bed. You plan on keeping that tradition going now that your family has started to grow.

"How about the little one your dad sent?" She laughs as she nibbles on Anthony's fingers .

"Sure." You pick up the small gift and sit back down on the sofa. "Here you go Tony."

The two of you watch as he holds the wrapped square and looks back up at Santana, his eyebrows pinched together as he tries to figure out what to do. You reach over and tear off a square to get him started. Once he tears a large piece off, he smiles and laughs in that way you never tire of.

Once he has the wrapping off and in Santana's lap, you see that your dad sent him a copy of _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie._ He starts to wave it around, narrowly missing Santana's eyes, so you take it from his hands and open the front cover. In your dad's neat writing is a small note; _Dear Anthony, this was your mommy's favorite book when she was little and I hope she will have as much fun reading it to you as I did to her. Merry Christmas, Love Grandpa._

"See that Tony?" Santana sits him on her lap to face you, "Now mommy gets to read you her favorite book."

You smile and scoot closer to her so that she's holding both of you as you turn to the first page. "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk."

By the time you finish the book, Tony has his head on Santana's shoulder and his eyes are fluttering shut. "I think it's time for bed." Santana whispers and you help her stand and follow her to the nursery. The two of you move around each other as you change him and get him into his pajamas, a set of snowman footies that Santana's mom had sent. You both take your time to kiss him goodnight and watch as he falls asleep.

The living room is a little quieter as the two of you curl up on the sofa to watch the fire spit and crackle. The glow from the tree reflecting from the window and onto the floor.

"Merry Christmas, baby." You kiss Santana's jaw and then her lips.

"I love you."

xxx

"Tony, you can only open one." Santana announces from the kitchen. She's making herself a glass of eggnog and bringing you a mug of peppermint tea.

"But Aaron gets one too." He whines from under the tree.

Aaron is snuggled up on your chest as he naps after you've just finished feeding him. "Listen to mama."

Anthony sighs like only opening one gift tonight is the worst thing ever. "Fine." He huffs in the same way that Santana does when she's frustrated.

"You get to open the rest tomorrow." Santana sits on the sofa and puts your mug on the coffee table.

"Thanks." You give her a tired smile and kiss the top of Aaron's head. Having a four year old and a three month old at Christmas was more tiring than you thought it would be. You both had somehow forgotten how tiring a newborn could be. But neither one of you would trade your boys for anything in the world.

It's been a whirlwind of a year for your little family. You won a few more Grammy's, AMA's, People's Choice and were even nominated for a Golden Globe. Santana's become the top casting agent for her company and was thanked in multiple Tony speeches. Plus there's Aaron. Born in September with Santana's little ears and pouty lips.

You shift Aaron off of your chest and into Santana's arms as Tony tries to pull the largest box out. "Hold on, Tony." You help him pull the box into the middle of the living room and watch as he starts to tear into the wrapping. You sit back on the sofa and pick up your tea to sip at as you watch Tony.

"It's a truck!" Anthony shouts as he hugs the box. He opens the box and pulls out his new truck, smiling when it hits the plush carpet he's sitting on.

The two of you watch him as he plays by himself, making sounds as he rolls his newest toy around. Aaron sleeps soundly against Santana's chest. A few minutes later, Anthony stands and abandons his truck to run to his room. When he returns, he's holding his worn copy of _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie_ and hands it to you before crawling onto your lap.

You put your arm around Santana, holding the three most important people in your life as you start to read, "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk."

xxx

You and Santana walk into the apartment to find it fully decorated and smelling like cookies and warm food. There had been no time to decorate for Christmas this year, what with Nina being born so early and the constant doctor's appointments for both of your girls. So coming home to find the boys hanging ornaments while Rachel cooks in the kitchen is a welcome sight.

"Hey," Rachel shouts from behind the counter, "how was the check up?"

"Good, we're both doing just fine." Santana says from behind you as she takes everything in. "What's going on?"

"I know you guys have been really busy and stressed, so I thought we could make a little Christmas magic while you were out."

"Aunt Rachel got us a tree!" Tony shouts, and you laugh because there are only decorations on the bottom half of the tree. It's absolutely perfect.

"There's chicken in the top oven and cookies in the bottom. Veggies and stuff in the fridge. And I got the boys some stuff, those are in your room and all wrapped."

"You're the best." You sigh as you make your way to the kitchen to hug her. Christmas had really snuck up on you this year. You had been so preoccupied with the health of your wife and new daughter. Nina's only six weeks old and has had more doctor's appointments than you have ever had.

Rachel leaves an hour later, kissing all of your children and hugging the two of you close. She's been extra clingy around Santana since Nina was born, you hadn't realized just how much Santana meant to her until you thought you might lose her. You look around the apartment and smile when you see how the three of them decorated while you were at the doctor's office.

The boys set the table while you and Santana set the presents under the tree, sneaking kisses and laughing when Anthony walks behind his brother to fix how he sets the table. You sit at the table and smile as you take in your sons eating and Santana holding Nina while she eats with one hand. You have so much to be grateful for this year.

After dinner, the five of you sink into the large sofa and watch the fire roar to life. The boys opting to not open gifts this year and just snuggle in close. They don't understand everything that happened when Nina was born, but they sensed a shift in the mood around the house. They seem to be just as grateful as you are that their mama and baby sister are here and healthy.

It doesn't take long for Anthony to wiggle off of the sofa and march into the nursery only to return with the same copy of _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie_ that you've been reading every Christmas for the last six years. You feel everyone shift closer together. Anthony snuggled between the two of you, Aaron on your lap, and Nina cradled against Santana's chest. Aaron holds the book in his hands so you can wrap your arm around Santana's shoulder and pull her a little bit closer, now holding the four most important people in your life. Nina snuffles against Santana and you smile as Tony reaches up to hold her tiny hand.

Then you begin, "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk."


	37. Being Alive

_A/N: Prompt: Wedding night. You wanted smut, you got it. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! I know these updates are getting slower, I'm just working more. (YAY paying my rent!)_

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The two of you make your way down from the roof and into the honeymoon suite of the hotel. It's been an incredible day. Dancing with your father, dancing with Dani's father, dancing with Dani. You didn't know you could be this happy. Of course everything leading up to today had been amazing, you think back to Dani proposing as the two of you woke up one cold morning. How you've fallen in love over the last several years. You haven't stopped smiling or kissing your wife since the ceremony was over.

Dani slides the keycard in and takes your hand, the two of you stepping into the large room together and letting the door click shut behind you. The room is large, with a sofa and fireplace, a balcony that wraps around the side of the building and a large master bedroom with a bed that dwarfs yours. Dani pulls you close to her and kisses you gently, pecking at your lips as you both smile. You bring your hands up and slowly start pulling the pins from her hair, letting them fall to the carpet as you run your hands through her hair.

She pulls the comb from your hair and pulls away from you to gently set it on the table before pulling your body close to hers again, this time kissing you passionately. When she finds the zipper of your dress she smiles and slowly starts to drag it down, letting your dress fall to the ground and pool around your feet. You don't let her pull away to look at you, instead you keep kissing her, looking for the zipper on her dress. She chuckles against your lips when you can't find and it and guides your hand to her side. You slide the zipper down and pull away just enough for her dress to fall between the two of you.

Then you step back to look at her. You take in the way the white lace clings to her. The way her breasts are pushed up just perfectly, how her tattoos peek out from under the lace. You love how her panties hug the curve of her waist and lower to her ass. You run your finger down her side to the top of her garter belt. She bites her lip as she takes you in. The strapless lace corset that ends just above your hipbones and then down to the white lace panties and garter belt. Her fingers brush against the skin bellow your corset and she steps over the dresses to pull you in for a hungry kiss.

"I love you." You whisper against her.

"I love you, too." She kisses you again, this time gentler and she takes your hand and leads you to the large bed.

You both kick off your shoes and you lean over her, pushing her further up the bed. You unsnap her thigh highs and slowly roll them down her legs, kissing the skin that's revealed to you as you go. "So beautiful." You whisper against her thigh, "I love you." You help her pull off the garter belt and her panties, she lifts her hips and watches you as she bites the corner of her lip.

You crawl up the bed and straddle her. Her hands are quick to find the fastenings for your garter belt to roll your own thigh highs down. Her hands smooth over your legs and she squeezes at your ass as her hands come back up. "I love you so so much Santana." She pulls your body to lie against her own.

Her hands come up to your back where she starts pulling at the laces of your corset. You pull away from her when she has most of them undone and help her to pull the corset off. You laugh when she throws it to the floor, but your laughs turn to moans when she cups your breasts. Her hands squeezing gently as you slowly start to rock your body against hers. She chuckles low in her throat before flipping the two of you over, kissing you as soon as your head is against the pillow.

You quickly find the clasp on her bra and pull it away from her body. You love the feeling of her breasts pressed against you. You have since the first time you had sex. She starts kissing down your body, nipping and licking at your neck and then lower to suck a nipple into her mouth. She brings her hand up to circle and pinch lightly at your other one. Smiling against you as you moan. You watch as she lets your nipple slip from her lips and then take your other one into her mouth, circling with her tongue.

Dani lets go of your nipple and then kisses you again, soft as her tongue pushes into your mouth. She pulls away again, "I love you."

You cup her face and smile, "I love you."

You watch as she kisses down your body. Nipping at your hip bones and kissing your bellybutton. She sits back on her knees and pulls your lace panties down your legs and kisses up your right leg and down your left and back up again. Dani starts pressing teasing kisses at the crease of your thighs before lying back down and setting between your legs. She takes your hand just before she presses and open kiss to your clit. You gasp, "Dani."

She circles your clit with her tongue in the way she knows you love, a little rough before sucking gently. She works you up in the best way. Her tongue dips lower to tease at your entrance and then licks back up to circle your clit. "Inside, please baby. Inside." You pant and watch her smile as she shifts your legs wider to slip two fingers into you. She kisses the crease of your thigh again as she watches her fingers pump in and out of you.

You feel the pressure in your belly building as she pumps harder, faster and then sucks your clit again, this time faster and harder. Your fingers start to tingle as your toes curl and then your back arches as you come. You can feel her fingers get wetter as she slows her pumps to ease you down, licking lower and around her fingers to taste more of you. You sigh and shiver as she slowly pulls her fingers out and sucks them into her mouth. You can't help the grin as she moans. "I'm so happy I get to do that for the rest of our lives." She purrs as she crawls up your body to kiss you.

The two of you trade lazy kisses while you catch your breath, your hands running up and down her spine while you occasionally squeeze her ass. When you can breathe, you slowly roll her onto her back, sliding your fingers through her hair as you kiss her. It doesn't take you long to start kissing and sucking at her neck, moving lower to suck an already pebbled nipple into your mouth. She threads her fingers through your hair, "Oh Santana. That always feels so good." She moans. You pinch her other nipple and trail kisses across her chest, squeezing her breasts against your face before taking her other nipple between your lips.

She scratches her nails down your back and presses your ass into her thigh as you slowly start to grind into her, careful of your still sensitive clit. But you know she loves the feeling of your wetness coating her thigh. "I need to you touch me, please." She moans into your neck. You kiss her again as you shift your body to run your hand down her body. When you circle her clit, she's already so wet. Your fingers slide through her, collecting the wetness you find. But before you touch her again, you bring your wet fingers to your mouth and taste her. She moans again, louder this time and pulls you in for a kiss. Tasting herself as she licks into your mouth.

You circle her clit again, slowly, the way you know she loves. Her hips rise to meet your fingers as you move your fingers lower and push into her. At first with one finger, she's always so so tight, and then again with two. "Yes, please, fuck me." She pants as you thrust in and out of her. The only sounds are of her breaths and moans and the slick wet sounds your fingers make as you start to pound your fingers harder into her. "Oh god, yes. Fuck, Santana." You press your thumb against her clit and make small circles as she starts to tighten and pulse around your fingers.

"So so beautiful." You mumble against her jaw as her body tightens and she cries out as she comes. You ease Dani through her orgasm as she comes down, her eyes fluttering open again as you pull your fingers out of her and suck them clean. She shifts a little to let you curl into her side to rest your head against her chest. You love being close to her while she evens her breathing out. It's the most intimate part of being with her. Not only has she let you take over her body, but she lets you close when she's vulnerable. You really do love your wife. The thought of her being your wife makes you smile again.

"What?" She must feel your smile against her.

"You're my wife now." You pull her body a little closer to yours.

"I am. No take backs." You can hear the smile in her voice as she runs her fingers over your skin.

"I got to make love to my wife."

"I think we're off to a pretty great start." You laugh at that, because, duh.

"I think I can agree on that."

"You think you can agree to a few more rounds?" She whispers as her hand moves lower to squeeze at your ass.

"I think for my wife, I can do that." You roll back on top of her and kiss her. You can't think of a better way to start off your marriage.


	38. You and Me and Baby Makes Three

_Prompt: Anthony's birth. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts! (Sorry it's kinda short)_

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The hospital bag is in your right hand. In it are changes of clothes for you and Dani and a going home outfit for your still unnamed son. There are diapers, shower supplies, snacks, phone chargers and whatever else Dani threw in. Your phone is clutched in your left hand, ready to dial when you get into the waiting car. It takes you three floors in the elevator to realize that Dani is still sitting on the sofa.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry." You tell her as you step back into the apartment. She's leaning against the wall staring at you like you're an idiot. Which you are. Her contractions are finally close enough together to justify going to the hospital and you forgot your laboring wife on the sofa. Again, idiot.

"Yeah yeah. Let's go." She sighs and kisses you before stopping to breathe.

"Breathe through it baby, good good." You rub her back and kiss her forehead when she straightens back up again.

The two of you use the side entrance to the building, having already talked to the building management about what would happen when one of its star residents would go into labor. They had agreed that the best plan would be to use the side loading entrance that was closed off to the general public, that way the two of you could make an easy getaway. Thankfully the plan works. There are no photographers staked outside and the car pulls into traffic with no problems.

You get Dani checked into the hospital without any problems. It helps when the nursing staff are fans. As soon as she's in a bed and being monitored, you start calling people.

Your mom cries. Rachel screams. Kurt screams. Dani's father and Sarah cry. Dani's manager wishes the two of you luck. Her producer tells you that you're in for a long night. You can hear the quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) excitement in everyone's voices.

"Santana?" Dani moans, she's been in labor for about six hours now.

"Yeah, baby?" You take her hand and run your fingers over her sweaty forehead.

"When is he coming?" You can hear the exhaustion in her voice already. It's three in the morning and she hasn't been able to get a lot of rest.

"He'll be here soon." You press a kiss to her belly and then to her lips, pulling away when she gasps at the start of another contraction. You help her breathe through it. It's what you do for the next four hours.

You sing softy to her belly and hold her hand when it hurts. You feed her ice chips and smooth a damp washcloth over her face to keep her cool. Never do you stop telling her how much you love her and how beautiful she is. And she is the most beautiful woman you've ever seen, even if she is swearing at the universe under her breath.

"He's never going to get here." She whines. It's about seven thirty in the morning and you're both exhausted.

"He's probably super comfy in there." You kiss her forehead again as your hand rubs circles over her belly. "But you should come out little man."

Sure enough, half an hour later Dani is pushing with the doctor situated between her legs. He's coaching her as she pushes, telling her that she's doing a great job. You don't think Dani can really hear him, she's sort of (scratch the sort of) yelling as she pushes. Each push harder than the last.

"You're doing amazing Dani." She breathes hard through her nose as she relaxes, waiting for the next contraction to push through. "I love you."

"I love you too." She whispers, and you watch as a contraction seizes her. She grips your hand again as she pushes.

"Good, good." The doctor says, "He's crowning."

"You hear that baby? He crowning!" You bounce a little on your toes, the excitement overtaking the exhaustion that's been weighing your body down for the last two hours.

"Uh hu." She nods as she starts to push again.

It feels like thirty seconds later when you hear his cry for the first time. Dani falls back onto the bed and you watch as the nurse wipes your son off while the doctor asks if you want to cut the umbilical cord. You're nodding and crying as you slice through the tissue and smile back at Dani as the nurse lays your son on her chest.

"Oh god." She chokes out as she looks as his face.

"He's perfect." You whisper as you stroke down his back, feeling his new, warm skin for the first time.

The nurse gives the two of you a few moments before taking him to weigh. He comes in at seven pounds four ounces. You kiss Dani again, cupping her face as the two of you cry.

"I love you so much, I didn't think I could love you more. Thank you for doing this for us. For bringing him here."

She nods as she cries and kisses you again. When the nurse comes back with your son, Dani nods to you and before you know it you're cradling his tiny body to yours. He has Dani's dark hair and the same dimple in his chin. You love him so much already. You've loved the idea of him for nine months, even more really. Even all of the months leading up to Dani being pregnant. But now that he's here, in your arms, you love him so so much. You know there isn't anything you wouldn't do for him.

You hold him for a few minutes before laying handing him to Dani. She holds him close to her, kissing his head as she whispers to him that she loves him. You sit and watch the two most important people in your life until Dani starts to fall asleep, passing the baby to you while she rests.

"I'm so glad you're here. Your mommy and I love you so much." You whisper to him as he sleeps. You trace his features with a delicate finger. You can't stop smiling. You can't believe you've started this new chapter in your lives and you can't wait to see what the future will hold for the three of you.


	39. Rhapsody in Blue

_A/N: Prompt: Dani dyes her hair blue. (This does not follow the cannon timeline) I've gotten some requests to make Dani bipolar, I do not know enough about being bipolar to do the subject justice, so I will not be doing that._

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You and Santana have had awful schedules for the last two weeks. You've barely seen each other, what with her dance classes, your music lessons, and alternating shifts at the diner. The post Christmas bustle of the city wearing the two of you out. But with the new year comes a need for change.

The jar of Manic Panic sitting on your bathroom sink is taunting you. The red from your last dyeing adventure has faded and you really want to try the blue that caught your eye last week. But you did tell Santana that you'd tell her when you were going to change your hair color again. She can be funny about change sometimes. The two of you won't see each other for another two days, and you know you're not going to be able to wait that long.

"Fuck it." You shrug and open the jar.

You look awesome with blue hair. It just works. You spend the rest of your afternoon rocking out in your apartment, imaging the day when your hair color choices will influence hundreds, no, thousands of fans.

Santana invites you over for pizza, beer, Netflix and warm arms to sleep in on Friday night. You smile at her text and run a hand through your hair. Oh right.

When you slide the loft door open you hear Santana's voice, "I'm in the kitchen!"

"Okay, I got that beer you like." You lock the door and peel off your layers before making your way to the fridge. Santana is putting what looks like cookies in the oven and you can't help yourself as you smack her ass.

"Hey!" She turns around to kiss you but stops. "Blue." Her eyes are wide as she stairs at your hair. "Really blue."

"Do you like it?" You're starting to wonder if this was a good idea.

"It's really blue."

"You hate it." Your face drops at the thought of Santana hating anything about you.

"No. It's just, it's blue."

"You've mentioned that." You put your hands on her hips and squeeze, hoping that she'll stop staring at your head and maybe kiss you. "I can change it if you really don't like it." You whisper as you pull her closer to you.

"I just need to adjust." She nods and cups your face to give you a gentle kiss. You feel her hands move up to run her fingers through your hair. "It's so blue."

You chuckle and pull away to grab plates for the pizza you see sitting on the counter. Santana watches you as you move around the kitchen, she has that lazy smile you love so much, but you can see her eyes flicking up to your hair every few seconds. "Stop staring and grab some beers." You make sure to sway your hips as you walk away from her, and this time you can see her reflection in one of the mirrors as she stares at your ass instead.

The two of you are cuddled up on one end of the sofa as you watch a marathon of old _Veronica Mars_ episodes. You're tucked into Santana's side as you nurse your beer, her hand running up and down your back as you watch in silence. You hum when she starts to run her hand through your hair, her fingers massaging the base of your skull before running to the ends of your hair and back.

"Why blue?" She whispers.

"It caught my eye in the store." You shrug, "And I've never had blue hair, it seemed like fun."

"Mmmhhmmm." She runs her fingers through your hair again.

"If you really hate it, I can change it. But it'll also fade in a few weeks." You lean up and kiss her.

"I kinda like it."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. You remind me of a blueberry. Or a smurf."

"Please don't call me a smurf." You laugh as she pulls you closer.

"But you'd be so cute." She kisses you again as you laugh against her lips.

"Smurfs are blue, not their hair." You tell her matter-of-factly.

"Whatever. You have blue hair, I can call you whatever I want." She tells you as she moves to straddle you.

"Maybe." You run your hands under her shirt to feel her warm skin. She kisses you as your hands move higher to cup her breasts over her bra. You kiss her again, harder and deeper as she settles into your lap.

"Who the hell are you making out with?!" You hear Kurt yell from the door, Elliot is standing behind him holding books of music.

"I don't know, this girl who looks sort of like my girlfriend." Santana sits up and snaps at him, but there isn't any bite behind her words.

"Oh, hi Dani." Kurt looks at you, but a lot like Santana, he's looking at your hair.

"Hey guys." You wave before wrapping your arms around Santana's waist.

"I like the blue." Elliot nods to you as he puts the books down on a chair.

"Thanks."

"Is it going to be like that for our next show?" Kurt's voice sounds tight.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" You raise an eyebrow.

"You should have asked." His face is stony. He _really_ doesn't like your hair.

"She doesn't have to ask you permission to do things, Kurt." Santana snaps, this time with more bite.

"She does if she's in my band." Kurt crosses his arms and you watch Elliot take a small step back.

Santana stands from your lap and mirrors Kurt's stance, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"So now you decide on how we all look?" Santana leans forward in a way you know she's ready to fight. It's pretty sexy.

"It's my band, Santana." You can see Kurt leaning back, he knows he's facing the lion now.

"Oh really?" She takes another step forward, "How do you feel about losing a vocalist? How about two? Maybe your guitarist and keyboardist? Think you can find some new members? Maybe you want to hold auditions again, seeing that the first round went so well."

"That's not fair Santana. You can't leave." You see the fight leave Kurt as he listens to Santana. He knows she's right. Pamela Lansbury is nothing without the two of you.

"Then the blue hair stays."

Kurt sighs, "Fine."

Santana sits back down next to you and pulls you closer to her. "Thank babe."

"You know what?" She smiles at you.

"What?" You can't help the grin that takes over your face.

"I like the blue." She runs her fingers over your hair again and kisses you again.


	40. A Quiet Thing

_A/N: Prompt: Picking a sperm donor. Thanks for the reviews/favs/follows/prompts. Just a heads up, I'm going into tech for my show. So updates will be even slower. But patience dear readers, patience._

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This is way harder than you expected. And not at all fun, well it was fun for the first twenty minutes. Now it's just frustrating. Dani wants you to pick a few sperm donors and the two of you will decide on one together. You've been trying to pick a few over the last two days, and all of the faces are starting to blend into one giant man-_thing._ Even the headshots you're supposed to be looking at are starting to look like the men on the website. Oh look, that one _is_ the guy on the website.

"No. No actors." You keep scrolling down through their pictures and small profiles. "Why does it have to be me?" You whine, even though you know why. Dani wants you to pick someone so that you're that much more included in this whole process. You tried telling her that you already felt included, that just because you weren't the one knocking her up didn't make this kid any less yours. But she insisted. And you do pretty much everything your wife tells you to.

You spend another hour looking at pictures on the donor bank website before deciding you actually have to do some work. You bookmarked three guys. A doctor who looks a little like Dani's dad, a teacher who looks sort of like your cousin, and another teacher who looks like your dad. Dani asked you to pick out at least ten, but three is what she's getting today.

The apartment is quiet when you get home, Dani must still be at her photo shoot. She was just nominated for her second set of Grammy's and you couldn't be more proud of her. You spot the Best New Artist gramophone above the fireplace and smile. After you change into a pair of sweats and order dinner for the two of you, you sink onto the sofa with your laptop to start scrolling through profiles again.

"Professional clown, no. Fry cook, no. Make up artist, no. Contortionist, no. What the hell happened to normal jobs?" You keep scrolling, eventually finding a musician, another teacher, a marine biologist and an actual rocket scientist. All of them looking sort of like you or Dani.

Dani comes home about an hour later looking cold and tired, "Hey, you're home. And you ordered Thai. I love you."

You chuckle as she sinks onto the sofa next you and drops her bag on the floor by her feet. "I love you too. Long day?" You kiss her head as she settles in next to you. Pulling her boots off and throwing them by the coffee table.

"I'm excited about the Grammy's and all, but it's been so nonstop." She sighs as she wiggles her toes and reaches for the container of noodles. "How was your day?"

"It was fine." You shrug.

"What are you looking at?"

"Donors." You sigh.

"Oooh! Did you pick some this time? Or did you just stare and are you going to wake up in the middle of the night because you were running away from, what did you call it?"

"A giant changing man face thing."

She laughs as she takes a bite from the container, "Yeah, that."

"I will have you know that I actually picked some. They're all bookmarked for you to look at and narrow down to your top three."

"Oh gimme." You hand her your laptop and give her a quick kiss before standing and heading towards the kitchen.

"Malbec or Pinot Noir?" You shout as you look at the bottles in the wine rack.

"Uh, Malbec." She shouts back.

You find the bottle opener and busy yourself with pouring two glasses and then making your back to the sofa. You watch quietly as Dani looks through the donors you've bookmarked. It takes her about twenty minutes to look through all of them, sipping slowly at the glass of wine while she reads.

"I like these." She shows you the three that she's picked. They're the first three that you picked earlier today at the office. "What do you think?"

You stare at the screen for a few minutes, "I like him." You point to the teacher who looks like your dad. "He has your dimples but he looks like my dad. And I really like what he says about teaching."

Dani rereads his profile again and hums as she reads through his answers again. "I like him too."

"Yeah?" You whisper and look over at her.

"Yeah." She cups your cheek and kisses you. The moment may be small, it's just the two of you sitting on the sofa with your laptop, but it's important. This is the two of you starting your family. You don't know what the future has in store, but you know that you love Dani and you're falling more and more in love with the idea of the two of you being parents.


End file.
